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Group D saw France take on Sweden and England meet co-hosts Ukraine in their final and deciding games. Sweden who were already out of the tournament after a disappointing campaign finally found their bearings and exited gracefully after destroying France 2 – 0 with stars Ibrahimovic and Larsson scoring and the Swedish defence doing it’s job denying France despite they attempting 24 times and with 57% of possession. France qualified despite loss as on the other side, the English just about managed to scrape past a surging Ukraine to finish on top of the group, thanks to a goal by Wayne Rooney, France’s defeat and loads of luck. In both the games it was the qualifiers who were overshadowed by those who were leaving.
Sweden vs France (2 – 0)
Sweden had nothing to lose, but they had to prove a point, and started off in that way, much to the delight of their fans who filled most of the stadium turning it yellow. Sweden’s exit had not dampened their spirits for this game, and they led the attack in the beginning, after which France took over and both the teams were flying at each other with good tempo creating plenty of openings on either side. A Ribery close range was blocked by Isaksson and Larsson slammed one into Lloris’ hands. Benzema shot one over the bar as well. But the payers seemed to be affected by the heat, and the game slowed down a bit. Then in the 54th minute Larsson shot over a flying pass to Zlatan Ibrahimovic who was ran into the box. He lifted jumped into the air and twisting his body acrobatically with his leg parallel to the ground while in air, sent the ball into the back of the net with a massive flying volley bringing ecstasy to the stands! (Watch the Ibrahimovic Goal here) Easily, the best goal of the tournament and most this will stand. Shaken, the French launched into a flurry of counterattacks, but the Swedish defence held like a fort, determined not to commit mistakes of the past and Isaksson denying a couple of charges. The French were getting increasingly impatient with the Swedish dispossessing them and charging whenever they got a chance. But Sweden romped home in injury time (90+1). Substitute Samuel Holmen lashed on to a Sebastian Larsson freekick which he tried volleying into the net. However, the ball hit the ground and bounced off the crossbar. Larsson ran in and kicked the air-bound rebound into the roof of the net while Lloris was still trying to comprehend what was going on. Sweden were going home with their heads held high.
England vs Ukraine (1 – 0)
In Donetsk, home boys Ukraine (though technically they were the away team) took on a resurgent England who were in good spirits after they put down a fighting Sweden in their last game. Also, Wayne Rooney returning providing them with a much needed shot in the arm. However, their performance leaves a lot to be desired, as Ukraine buoyed by their huge and very vocal and hyper-energetic supporter base posed serious threat to the English proceedings. Ukraine, knowing they would need nothing but a victory pushed ahead right from the start, though they were handicapped by the absence of star striker Andriy Shevchenko. The Ukrainians pushed and pushed to shake the English net, but repeatedly denied, closest when a shot by Oleh Gusev went whizzing over the crossbar missing it by millimeters. England was struggling to get a hold of themselves and the ball. Then it all turned on the head when Wayne Rooney being in the right place at the right time tapped in a Steven Gerrard corner kick which landed on his head after a deflection. Ukraine stepped up the momentum and for one heart-stopping moment almost had their equalizer when Marco Devic’s deadly shot touched off Hart’s hands and rolled to the empty net, only to be cleared out by John Terry from the line. The game was being played at a frantic pace now, with opportunities being created in plenty by other teams, though Ukraine had the upper hand. But luck didn’t favor them and the Rooney goal would stay.
England tops the group to meet Italy on 24th June in Kyiv which promises to be a cracker of a game, while France faces the daunting prospect of meeting neighbors and holders Spain who are on a total roll on 23th June in Donetsk. The group rounds of the Euro 2012 coming to an end, both hosts Poland and Ukraine have crashed out, along with the Republic of Ireland, Croatia, Russia, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. The remaining eight will meet for the knockout stage or the quarterfinals, where it is do or die, no Mathematics will come to the teams’ rescue. We saw some great football in the league stages, with almost none of the games and teams disappointing, no matter whether they won or not (except for the Netherlands). The tournament will miss the likes of Ibrahimovic, Lewandowski and Shevchenko, but now with the best in the business facing each other, the action will be unmatchable!
