Soccer

Zlatan Ibrahimovic shines but Denmark cling to lifeline

Nicolai Jorgensen scores crucial second half goal to keep tie finely balanced

Sweden’s forward and team captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic shoots to score past Denmark’s goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel Photograph: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP
Sweden’s forward and team captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic shoots to score past Denmark’s goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel Photograph: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP
Sat Nov 14 2015 - 23:04

Sweden 2-1 Denmark

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his ninth goal of the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign for Sweden, but Denmark scored a late away goal in the first leg of their play-off encounter.

Paris St Germain forward Ibrahimovic continued his rich vein of form by converting a second-half penalty after Emil Forsberg had opened the scoring for the Swedes in the first period of the all-Scandinavian affair.

However, it would finish 2-1 as Nicolai Jorgensen stabbed in from close range from Christian Eriksen's corner to raise Danish hopes ahead of Tuesday's return fixture.

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And the Swedes only need to look at their most recent play-off contests to know they cannot solely rely on goals from their talisman, with Ibrahimovic's brace in a play-off for the World Cup finals in 2014 counting for little when he was upstaged by Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick.