GLASGOW: Artem Dovbyk's header in the 121st minute sent Ukraine through to a Euro 2020 quarter-final clash with England on Saturday as they beat Sweden 2-1 after extra time in Glasgow.
Ukraine squeezed through to the last 16 despite taking just three points in the group stage, qualifying in part because Sweden beat Poland to top Group E ahead of Spain.
But Andriy Shevchenko's side were determined to show they deserved their place in the knockout phase as Oleksandr Zinchenko fired them into an early lead.
Emil Forsberg's deflected strike brought Sweden level before half-time and the RB Leipzig midfielder twice hit the woodwork in the second half.
However, a red card for Marcus Danielson nine minutes into extra time left Sweden hanging on for penalties until Dovbyk latched onto Zinchenko's inviting cross to spark wild scenes of celebration among the small band of Ukrainian fans at Hampden Park.
Shevchenko said before the game his side had already achieved their objective by making it through the group.
But the former AC Milan striker got the reaction he desired after a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Austria in their final group game with a fast start.
Sweden's Robin Olsen was forced into the first save to deny Roman Yaremchuk after he was teed up by the impressive Andriy Yarmolenko.
The West Ham United winger has been his country's driving force all tournament, scoring or assisting in all but two of their six goals.
Yarmolenko's teasing cross with the outside of his left foot fell kindly for Zinchenko on 27 minutes and the Manchester City man drilled in a low shot that had too much power for Olsen.
That was the first time Sweden had trailed all tournament, but Janne Andersson's men responded well to the questions asked of whether they could chase a game after their defensive discipline shone through in the group stage.
Forsberg has been just as influential for Sweden as Yarmolenko for Ukraine and he equalised two minutes before the break with his fourth goal of the tournament.
Chances came and went for both sides as an entertaining second half raged from end to end.
Yarmolenko teed up Serhiy Sydorchuk to smash against the post, but Sweden posed the bigger threat.
Forsberg hit the woodwork twice, curling a shot onto the base of the post before a more powerful effort from the edge of the box cannoned back off the bar.
In between times, Georgiy Bushchan produced a stunning save to tip over Dejan Kulusevski's dipping shot.
Ukraine survived to take the game into extra time and were gifted a golden chance to reach the last eight of a major tournament for just the second time as an independent nation when Sweden were reduced to 10 men.
Danielson won the ball but followed through with a dangerous challenge on Artem Besedin that forced the Dynamo Kiev striker to be come off injured.
Yarmolenko also had to be replaced midway through extra time in what will be a concern for Shevchenko if Ukraine are to have any chance of shocking England in Rome.
But his replacement Dovbyk was the hero as he chose the perfect time to score his first international goal.
Dovbyk heads Ukraine into Euro 2020 quarter-final clash with England
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Dovbyk heads Ukraine into Euro 2020 quarter-final clash with England
Shakib Al-Hasan shines as MI Emirates down table-toppers Desert Vipers by 4 wickets
- All-round performance helped move the team back to second in the points table
DUBAI: MI Emirates registered a composed four-wicket victory over the table toppers Desert Vipers to seal their third straight win in the DP World ILT20 Season 4 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. After a disciplined bowling performance in the first innings, MI Emirates overcame early pressure before Kieron Pollard and Shakib Al-Hasan guided the team to victory.
The Desert Vipers managed to score 124 courtesy of Dan Lawrence’s gritty 35 off 34 balls, but MI Emirates navigated a tricky chase with relative ease. With the ball, spinner Al-Hasan’s two wickets for 14 runs led the charge and kept the Vipers in check, before Zahoor Khan’s death bowling ensured the total remained below par.
In reply, MI Emirates stumbled in the powerplay and lost momentum in the middle overs, but Pollard’s 26 off 15 balls flipped the contest decisively. Even after his dismissal, Al-Hasan held firm to see the chase through, striking the winning boundary to complete a controlled four-wicket win with 15 balls to spare.
MI Emirates endured a slow powerplay as the Vipers applied sustained pressure. David Payne set the tone early, removing Jonny Bairstow (5 off 5), while Lockie Ferguson struck to dismiss Muhammad Waseem (18 off 13). They finished the powerplay with 35/2 on the board.
The batting side lost momentum through the middle overs as the Vipers bowlers tightened the screws. Nicholas Pooran (17 off 17) mounted a brief counterattack with two sixes but was trapped LBW by Lawrence. Wickets fell at regular intervals, including Tom Banton (10 off 10) being bowled by a sharp Qais Ahmad delivery.
Then, skipper Pollard swung the momentum decisively, taking Ahmad apart with a pair of sixes in the 15th over that turned the chase in MI Emirates’ favor. He was eventually dismissed by Matiullah Khan, but Al-Hasan (17* off 25) held his nerve, anchoring the finish before striking the winning boundary off Matiullah to close the chase at 124/6 in 17.3 overs.
In the first innings, the Vipers made a subdued start in the powerplay, as Chris Woakes was excellent up front, conceding just 15 runs from his three overs. Allah Ghazanfar struck the key blow by removing Max Holden (20 off 18). Fakhar Zaman (13 off 13) tried to build momentum, but the lack of boundaries and regular dots ensured the Vipers were restricted to 35/1 after six overs.
MI Emirates tightened their grip through the middle overs as Al-Hasan struck twice in a miserly spell to remove Zaman and Sam Curran (4 off 4), conceding just eight runs in two overs. Arab Gul added to the pressure by dismissing Hasan Nawaz (13 off 19), leaving the Vipers reeling after losing three wickets in as many overs and the score at 54/4 at the halfway mark of their innings.
Lawrence and Jason Roy (14 off 18) showed intent in patches, adding a cautious stand of 42 runs in 40 balls, but boundaries were scarce. Al-Hasan capped an outstanding spell, leaving the Vipers with little impetus. Khan delivered a decisive final over, finishing with two for 17, as regular wickets in the death overs ensured the Vipers were kept in check, leaving MI Emirates a manageable target of 125 to seal the chase.
Al-Hasan said: “It was a surface that suited the spinners, and the focus was on hitting the right areas consistently. I was able to do that today, which was pleasing. I’m glad it helped the team. Batting wasn’t easy on this pitch either. With so many powerful hitters in our lineup, someone needed to play the anchoring role, and I was happy to take on that responsibility to make sure we finished the chase.”
Desert Vipers stand-in skipper Curran commented: “It was another low-scoring game on a tricky surface. The pitch was slow, and facing a side like MI Emirates, who have high-quality spinners with a lot of variation, made it even tougher. Despite that, I thought our bowlers put in a strong effort. With qualification already secured, we chose to rotate the squad, and what happened to Lockie reinforces the importance of managing workloads.”
