Ukraine v Sweden, 11 June 2012

Score2-1 to Ukraine
Referee Cüneyt Çakir
CompetitionUEFA European Championship Finals Group D
VenueOlimpiyskyi Kyiv, Kyiv
Attendance64,290
Kick-off: 9.45pm local Assistant referees: Bahattin Duran (Turkey) Tarık Ongun (Turkey) Fourth official: Marcin Borski (Poland) Additional assistant referees: Hüseyin Göçek (Turkey) Bülent Yıldırım (Turkey) Man of the Match: Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine) Ukraine made a dream start to UEFA EURO 2012 as a quickfire double from their captain, Andriy Shevchenko, earned a famous comeback victory against Sweden. The co-hosts had had marginally the better of the first half to the audible delight of the majority of the crowd in Kyiv, only to fall behind to Zlatan Ibrahimović's close-range finish in the 52nd minute. As in the day's early Group D game between England and France, the lead proved short-lived as Shevchenko scored their first UEFA European Championship finals goal with a powerful header. The same player, for so long his country's talisman, then put them in front in the 62nd minute and urged on by a passionate crowd, Ukraine preserved that advantage to mark their tournament debut in memorable fashion. Ukraine coach Oleh Blokhin had emphasised the youth of his squad on the eve of the match, yet his starting lineup belied that. Only two players – Yevhen Selin and Yevhen Konoplyanka – were making their competitive debuts, and that experience proved invaluable as the co-hosts settled quickly amid a raucous atmosphere. Sweden are no novices either, however, and were first to threaten as Andriy Pyatov punched away Ibrahimović's curling left-wing cross. The home side's first chance of note came on the counterattack as Ukraine broke swiftly to give themselves an extra man on the retreating Swedish rearguard. Shevchenko exchanged passes with Andriy Yarmolenko, whose return left the Ukraine captain with only Andreas Isaksson to beat, but the angle proving too much for Shevchenko who pulled his effort across the face of goal. Not for nothing did Sweden manage 31 goals in their ten qualifying fixtures, and they were soon pressing again as Markus Rosenberg – preferred to Johan Elmander up front – latched on to Ola Toivonen's header to draw a save down low from Pyatov. The goalkeeper was left stranded six minutes by half-time, Sebastian Larsson's pinpoint cross being met by the head of Ibrahimović, but the ball clipped the outside of the goalkeeper's left-hand post and Ukraine survived. They were not so fortunate seven minutes into the second period. Kim Källström retrieved Larsson's deep right-wing cross and his low ball back across goal presented Ibrahimović with a simple prodded finish. For the first time the stadium fell silent, yet within three minutes the noise was louder than ever as Ukraine hit back. Yarmolenko was the architect, cutting on to his left foot to deliver a fine cross from the right, and Shevchenko thundered in to thump a header past Isaksson. If the decibel level had increased with that, seven minutes later it reached deafening proportions as Konoplyanka swung in a corner from the left and another Shevchenko header beat Isaksson at his near post. Again Ibrahimović – who had lost Shevchenko for the second goal – led the Sweden charge, Pyatov beating away his fierce shot but when first Elmander then Olof Mellberg both sent shots too high, Sweden's final chance had gone. Ukraine will go into their next game, against France in Donetsk on Friday, as Group D's early leaders; Sweden will hope to give their sizeable support more to cheer back here against England.

2  Ukraine

Manager: Oleh Blokhin

1  Sweden

Manager: Erik Hamrén

Goals:

Andriy Shevchenko 55 G
Andriy Shevchenko 62 G

Goals:

Zlatan Ibrahimović 52 G

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper Andrey Pyatov
Defender Evgen Selin
Midfielder Oleg Husyev
Midfielder Yevhen Konoplyanka
Midfielder Taras Mykhalyk
Midfielder Serhiy Nazarenko
Midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk
Midfielder/Forward Andriy Yarmolenko
Forward Andriy Shevchenko (captain)
Forward Andrej Voronin

Starting lineup:

Andreas Isaksson Goalkeeper
Mikael Lustig Defender
Olof Mellberg Defender
Martin Olsson Defender/Midfielder
Rasmus Elm Midfielder
Kim Källström Midfielder
Seb Larsson Midfielder
Zlatan Ibrahimović Forward (captain)
Ola Toivonen Forward

Substitutions:

Artem Milevskyi for Andriy Shevchenko 81
Ruslan Rotan for Andrej Voronin 85
Marko Dević for Yevhen Konoplyanka 90

Substitutions:

Anders Svensson for Ola Toivonen 62
Christian Wilhelmsson for Seb Larsson 68
Johann Elmander for Markus Rosenberg 71

Cards:

Cards:

Kim Källström 11 Y
Rasmus Elm 83 Y

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Oleksandr Horyainov
Goalkeeper Maksym Koval
Defender Bogdan Butko
Defender Oleksandr Kucher
Midfielder Olexandr Aliyev
Midfielder Denys Garmash
Midfielder Ruslan Rotan
Forward Marko Dević
Forward Artem Milevskyi

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Par Hansson
Goalkeeper Johan Wiland
Defender Mikael Antonsson
Defender Jonas Olsson
Midfielder Emir Bajrami
Midfielder Samuel Holmen
Midfielder Behrang Safari
Midfielder Anders Svensson
Midfielder/Forward Pontus Wernbloom
Forward Johann Elmander
Forward Tobias Hysen

2  Ukraine

Manager: Oleh Blokhin

Goals:

Andriy Shevchenko 55 G
Andriy Shevchenko 62 G

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper Andrey Pyatov
Defender Evgen Selin
Midfielder Oleg Husyev
Midfielder Yevhen Konoplyanka
Midfielder Taras Mykhalyk
Midfielder Serhiy Nazarenko
Midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk
Midfielder/Forward Andriy Yarmolenko
Forward Andriy Shevchenko (captain)
Forward Andrej Voronin

Substitutions:

Artem Milevskyi for Andriy Shevchenko 81
Ruslan Rotan for Andrej Voronin 85
Marko Dević for Yevhen Konoplyanka 90

Cards:

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Oleksandr Horyainov
Goalkeeper Maksym Koval
Defender Bogdan Butko
Defender Oleksandr Kucher
Midfielder Olexandr Aliyev
Midfielder Denys Garmash
Midfielder Ruslan Rotan
Forward Marko Dević
Forward Artem Milevskyi

1  Sweden

Manager: Erik Hamrén

Goals:

Zlatan Ibrahimović 52 G

Starting lineup:

Andreas Isaksson Goalkeeper
Mikael Lustig Defender
Olof Mellberg Defender
Martin Olsson Defender/Midfielder
Rasmus Elm Midfielder
Kim Källström Midfielder
Seb Larsson Midfielder
Zlatan Ibrahimović Forward (captain)
Ola Toivonen Forward

Substitutions:

Anders Svensson for Ola Toivonen 62
Christian Wilhelmsson for Seb Larsson 68
Johann Elmander for Markus Rosenberg 71

Cards:

Kim Källström 11 Y
Rasmus Elm 83 Y

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Par Hansson
Goalkeeper Johan Wiland
Defender Mikael Antonsson
Defender Jonas Olsson
Midfielder Emir Bajrami
Midfielder Samuel Holmen
Midfielder Behrang Safari
Midfielder Anders Svensson
Midfielder/Forward Pontus Wernbloom
Forward Johann Elmander
Forward Tobias Hysen