Last-gasp Villa keeps Spain on top

13 April 2012

90 GOAL: Spain. Villa. Fabulous individual goal which will add a few more euros to his price tag. The Valencia striker latches onto a long ball and flicks it past Hansson and cooly clipped the ball past Isaksson.


90 Late flurry from the Swedes. Ljungberg tries am ambitious lob from wide on the left which sails harmlessly.

89 Snap shot from Torres, well saved by Isaksson.

85 Spain are piling on the pressure but they can't find any space around the Sweden penalty box.

77 Rare attack from Sweden and it nearly ends with a goal. A free kick finds Hansson unmarked at the far post, he directs the ball across goal but Larsson can't add the finishing touch.

68 Great run and shot from Senna and Isaksson pushes the ball past the post.

Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates his goal

Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates his goal

62 Spain waste a glorious opportunity to reclaim  the lead. Silva is twice denied by Isaksson before the ball breaks to Torres, who sees his effort blocked with the keeper lying on the ground.

58 Spain make a double switch. Fabregas and Cazorla on for Xavi and Iniesta

53 Marchena booked for a clumsy challenge on Elmander. The Spanish defender stays down, feeling the effects on the collision, but the ref  has no sympathy and brandishes the yellow card. And like buses ... Svensson joins him in the book after a foul on Silva.

49 Spain have an early chance to work Isaksson but Villa and Silva are guilty of over elaborating on the edge of the box.

46 Spain kick off the second half.

Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores a goal past Spain's goalkeeper Iker Casillas as he is challenged by Spain's Sergio Ramos

Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores a goal past Spain's goalkeeper Iker Casillas as he is challenged by Spain's Sergio Ramos

HT Sweden 1 Spain 1

45 Spain are furious after their appeals for a penalty are waived away by ref Pieter Vink. Silva is barged in the back by Elmander as he challenges for a cross in the box but the Dutch official fails to award a spot kick.

34 GOAL: SWEDEN. Ibrahimovic claims a well-deserved equaliser. Stoor puts in a peach of a cross which finds the Juventus striker unmarked eight yards out but he makes a mess of his first effort but the ball falls to his right and he holds off the weak challenge of Ramos to squeeze the ball past Casillas.

Spain's Fernando Torres (front) celebrates his goal with team mate David Villa

Spain's Fernando Torres (front) celebrates his goal with team mate David Villa

25 A huge blow for Spain. Barcelona defender Puyol has to go off with a leg injury and is replaced by Albiol.

23 Sweden have responded well to the early setback. Ibrahimovic plays a delightful ball through to unmarked Larsson on the edge of the box, the former Celtic striker tries to chip the keeper but he lifts his effort just over the bar.

16 Sweden waste a great chance to level seconds later. Larsson finds Elmander breaking into the box but he fires his effort into the side-netting instead of shooting across the keeper.

15 GOAL: SPAIN. A well-worked short corner finds Silva on the left edge of the box and his cross is deflected by the outstretched leg of  Liverpool striker Torres just inside the keeper's right-hand post.

9 Spain have dominated possession in the opening phase but Sweden have pace and purpose and Ljungberg combines with Larsson down the right but his final effort is comfortably saved by the keeper Casillas.

Spain's Fernando Torres, left, scores the opening goal

Spain's Fernando Torres, left, scores the opening goal

4 Spain's Iniesta has the first strike on goal. A speculative 30-yard shot which sails harmlessly over the bar.

17.00 Sweden kick off the match.

Spain named the same lineup that won its opening European Championship so emphatically for Saturday's Group D match against Sweden.

Sweden made two changes, reconstructing its right flank because of injuries.

Spain's Sergio Ramos (L) jumps for the ball with Sweden's Fredrik Ljungberg

Spain's Sergio Ramos (L) jumps for the ball with Sweden's Fredrik Ljungberg

Spain cruised to a 4-1 win over Russia four days ago and its attack will again be led by strikers Fernando Torres and David Villa. The latter was available to play Saturday even though he sustained a hairline fracture to his right index finger in the first game after catching it in Torres' jersey while celebrating the first goal of his hat trick.

Cesc Fabregas was edged out of midfield again in favor of Xavi Hernandez, despite scoring as a substitute against Russia, with David Silva and Andres Iniesta on the wings and Marcos Senna in the holding position. Fabregas had come on for Torres in the Group D opener to score an injury-time header - his first goal in 27 appearances for the national team.

With winger Christian Wilhelmsson and fullback Niclas Alexandersson injured, Sweden brought in Johan Elmander, who scored against Spain in a qualifying match for Euro 2008, and Rosenborg defender Fredrik Stoor.

Otherwise the lineup was the same as for Sweden's 2-0 opening win against Greece, with Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the attack in front of Daniel Andersson and Anders Svensson in the central midfield.

Sweden: Andreas Isaksson, Fredrik Stoor, Olof Mellberg, Petter Hansson, Mikael Nilsson, Johan Elmander, Anders Svensson, Daniel Andersson, Fredrik Ljungberg, Henrik Larsson, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Spain: Iker Casillas, Carlos Marchena, Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevila, Sergio Ramos, Marcos Senna, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, David Silva, David Villa, Fernando Torres.

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