In the first match of their EURO qualifying playoffs, both Sweden and Ukraine earned big home victories to take control heading into the second leg, which will be held on Tuesday, November 17.
Sweden 2-1 Denmark
In a battle between Scandinavian rivals, Sweden held on through heavy pressure to earn a 2-1 win over Denmark.
The Swedes took a lead just before halftime, as Mikael Lustig took a clever back-heel down the right wing. Lustig’s cross found Emil Forsberg, who buried his shot into the side netting. Zlatan nearly doubled the lead in stoppage time with a shot headed for the top corner, but Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel made a brilliant save to keep it a one-goal game. Zlatan would get some revenge just five minutes into the second half, finishing off a penalty kick to put Sweden ahead 2-0.
However, Denmark scored an all-important away goal in the 80th minute through Nicolai Jorgensen, which could prove massive in the second leg.
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Ukraine 2-0 Slovenia
Ukraine extended their unbeaten streak in Lviv to 14 games, keeping a clean sheet against Slovenia in a 2-0 win. It was a dominant performance by the Ukrainians, as Slovenia didn’t manage a single attempt on target. Andriy Yarmolenko continued his stellar season for both club and country, opening the scoring in the 23rd minute. Yevhen Seleznyov would double the lead ten minutes into the second half, as Ukraine holds a big advantage heading into the second leg.