Euro 2016 Play-Offs: Saturday's 1st Leg Scores and Updated Schedule
Sweden and Ukraine are on the verge of booking their spots at Euro 2016 after defeating respective Saturday opponents Denmark and Slovenia in the first leg of their play-off fixtures.
Captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic did his part in leading Sweden past Denmark, converting from the penalty spot to complete their 2-1 victory following Emil Forsberg's first-half opener before Nicolai Jorgensen pulled back a late strike.
It was a fruitful evening for teams draped in yellow and blue, too, after Andriy Yarmolenko and Evgen Seleznyov led Ukraine to a 2-0 win that makes Slovenia's task of turning the tide in Tuesday's return leg very difficult.
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Read on for recap of Saturday's results as we take one step closer to completing the Euro 2016 lineup.
| Ukraine | 2-0 | Slovenia |
| Sweden | 2-1 | Denmark |
Both second-leg fixtures will be played on Tuesday, November 17.
Recap
Denmark will have left Solna's Friends Arena on Saturday knowing they could have taken more from the away leg of their play-off collision, although a 2-1 defeat most certainly doesn't rule out a comeback in Copenhagen on Tuesday.
As Breathe Sport attested, it was all too fateful that the play-off fixture between Sweden and Denmark should fall on the three-year anniversary of his four-goal haul in a 4-2 win over England:
"On this day, 3 years ago, Zlatan Ibrahimovic did this... https://t.co/NjoO5zYkLw
— BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) November 14, 2015"
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar was hardly up to those same standards on Saturday, but his 49th-minute spot kick may well end up having a dramatic effect on Sweden's football history.
It came at the latter end of a blistering five-minute stretch of the match that saw Denmark's Nicklas Bendtner miss a gaping chance to bag the opener, per Bleacher Report UK, only for Forsberg to punish him for his failure to do so:
And what an opener it was for Forsberg after Mikael Lustig ghosted down the right flank, drilling a cross into the midfielder for him to rasp a beautifully curled effort in at the far post.
That lull around the half-time whistle left the Danes in pieces, which was especially unfortunate considering it was they who dominated possession and the shooting opportunities, per WhoScored.com.
Bendtner and Tottenham Hotspur maestro Christian Eriksen each had their share of attempts on goal, but a steely performance from Kim Kallstrom in Sweden's midfield helped stem the visitors' tide.
Had the first leg finished at 2-0, Denmark may well have found the deficit too much to overcome, but despite running short of ideas near the game's climax, per ByThe Min Europe, Jorgensen scraped in a crucial strike:
The away goal gives Morten Olsen's side plenty of reason to be upbeat heading back to Copenhagen, while Sweden will rue allowing that goal with just 10 minutes remaining.
Both outfits will glean their share of positives from the tie, and that late goal means the tactical battle will make for intriguing viewing as each team dictates how to chase the play-off victory.
Neither Ukraine nor Slovenia can be considered international heavyweights. The former has featured in the tournament finals just once (2006), while the latter has only made that stage twice (2002 and 2010).
However, Ukraine looked every bit the more accomplished side on Saturday, making full use of their home advantage at the Lviv Arena, where Yarmolenko and Seleznyov inspired them to a confident win.
Even in the early exchanges, it was clear the Mykhaylo Fomenko's men would dictate the sway of the fixture, with the defence rarely troubled by Slovenia's limp-looking front line.
With Robert Beric out for the season, Milivoje Novakovic, 36, and the inexperienced Roman Bezjak were sorely isolated in attack for the guests, and it didn't help Lviv has proved such a difficult venue to travel to, per Betway:
After a series of early chances, Yarmolenko broke the deadlock with a calmly orchestrated finish from a corner after collecting possession on the right side of Slovenia's area. Three defenders rushed to meet the attacker, and all three bought his dummy as Yarmolenko dragged the ball toward the goal line before stroking a right-footed drive inside the far post.
Infostrada Sports painted a picture of just how instrumental Yarmolenko has been throughout this qualification campaign, and his well-taken opener will play a huge hand in possibly sealing Ukraine's place in the finals:
After the break, Fomenko's ace turned orchestrator after slipping right-back Artem Fedetskiy down the right flank, and his squared cross made it impossible for a wide-open Seleznyov to miss, doubling their cushion.
The striker almost made it 3-0, too, but he could only clip the frame after Slovenia's defence fell apart in what was fast becoming a horror show for Srecko Katanec's visitors.
Ukraine can be quietly disappointed they didn't make more of their pressure, especially when Slovenia failed to register even a single shot on target, per WhoScored.com, while they frequently tested opposing No. 1 Samir Handanovic.
Slovenia will require a sharp turnaround in Maribor on Tuesday if they're to hold a hope of making it to France next year, while Ukraine will be seeking more of the same in their bid to close out their advantage.
