Euro 2004: Denmark 2, Sweden 2
Denmark 2, Sweden 2
PORTO, Portugal (AP)— Mattias Jonson scored a minute from time to earn Sweden a 2-2 draw with Denmark, sending the Scandinavian teams to the quarterfinals of Euro 2004 and eliminating Italy.
A 2-2 draw and higher would have guaranteed both teams a quarterfinal berth regardless of Italy's result against Bulgaria in the other match. The Italians had raised fears of a high-scoring draw being fixed by the Scandinavian rivals beforehand, a suggestion both Denmark and Sweden vigorously denied.
Sweden finished top of the group with five points, on goal difference ahead of Denmark and Italy, which beat Bulgaria 2-1. The Swedes will play the Group D runners-up - Germany, the Netherlands or Latvia - in the last eight, the Danes face the Czech Republic.
Jon Dahl Tomasson scored twice for Denmark, while Henrik Larsson also scored for Sweden. Both strikers now have three goals in the tournament.
Dahl Tomasson opened the scoring in the 28th minute, picking up a bouncing ball some 25 meters from the Swedish goal, chesting it down and sending a cool lob past goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson and into the top left corner of the goal.
Larsson, who came back from retirement after two years to rejoin the Swedish team, equalized in the 47th minute on a penalty kick after he was brought down by Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.
Tomasson netted his second in the 66th minute, picking up a rebound from Swedish 'keeper Andreas Isaksson who failed to control a powerful shot from Jesper Gronkjaer, and the AC Milan striker made no mistake from the center of the penalty box.
Mattias Jonson profited from a goalkeeping blunder in one minute from time to make it 2-2.
Lineups:
Denmark: Thomas Soerensen; Thomas Helveg, Martin Laursen, Rene Henriksen, Niclas Jensen (Kasper Boegelund, 46th); Jesper Groenkjaer, Daniel Jensen (Christian Paulson, 66th), Thomas Gravesen, Martin Joergensen (Dennis Rommedahl, 57th); Jon Dahl Tomasson, Ebbe Sand.
Sweden: Andreas Isaksson; Mikael Nilsson, Olof Mellberg, Andreas Jakobsson, Erik Edman; Fredrik Ljungberg, Kim Kallstrom (Christian Wilhelmsson, 72nd), Anders Andersson, Mattias Jonsson; Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrik Larsson.
Referee: Markus Merk, Germany.
Posted on Jun 23, 04 | 9:24 am