EURO 2020 Half time: Sweden 1-1 Ukraine. Mind you, that doesn’t stop the referee blowing for halftime three seconds early. This game took a while to get going, but the period since the opening goal has been good fun.
Out of nothing, the Swedes are level! Forsberg latches onto a loose ball, 30 yards out. He takes a stride down the inside-left channel and aims for the right-hand side of the goal. His shot takes a deflection off the heel of Zabarnyi, and flies into the top left!
Kulusevski drives into the Ukraine box from the right. He clatters straight into Matviyenko. He asks for a penalty, but neither referee nor VAR shows interest, and nor should they.
Sweden push Ukraine back. They ping a few passes together, but never look like breaking into the box. Suddenly Sydorchuk intercepts and zips up the park. A poor pass towards Yarmolenko, out to the right, saves a light-at-the-back Sweden.
“I think you understate the quality of Yarmolenko’s outside of the boot assist,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Zidane would’ve been proud. At first glance it looked like a defensive error by Sweden, but the absurdity of that pass would’ve caught anyone off guard. A piece of art.”
Olsson dribbles with purpose down the middle, but finds there’s no route into the box. He slips wide right to Larsson, who overhits a cross to nobody. Sweden come again, down the same flank. Larsson’s cross this time is weak and straight into the hands of Bushchan at the near post.
Yarmolenko is seeing an awful lot of the ball. He races down the right again, but there’s nobody in blue keeping pace with him and he’s forced to turn tail. After a slow start, Ukraine are now on top.
Yarmolenko is barged over as he makes good down the right. Free kick. It’s looped long and only half cleared by Ekdal. Yarmolenko – who has by now swapped flanks – tries to replicate Zinchenko’s volley, but sends his effort high over the bar.
The resulting corner comes to nothing, easily claimed by Bushchan. “Will Ferrell has been a football fan his whole life,” reports Mary Waltz. “He was a decent High School player, he is a part-owner of the LAFC MLS side and he has promoted both the US men’s and women’s team so he is not just a parvenue looking for attention. The Swedish connection is through his wife as previously stated.”
Its all swear off, expecting an exciting second half.
