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A star studded France side fell 0 – 2 to Sweden in Kiev on Tuesday 19 June in a result that saw the Swedes, who came to the game already eliminated finish with three points after two defeats in their two opening games.
Missed
France missed their best opportunity of the opening half after a mix up in the Swedish defence allowed Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema to sneak a pass to Frank Ribery in the sixth minute but the Bayern Munich man couldn’t beat Adreas Isakson from close range.
PSV Eindhoven forward Ola Toivanen was also wasteful on the other end four minutes later as his hopeful run proved fortunate as Phillipe Maxes missed a header and Ola rounded French keeper Hugo Lloris but hit the post from a tight angle when squaring the ball to Zlatan Ibrahimovic would have been easier.
Wonderful volley
Ibrahimovic was however not to be stopped in the second half as his wonderful acrobatic volley on 53 minutes met Sebastian Larson’s cross from the right for an unstoppable shot that beat Lloris for the opener.
Sebastian Larson then secured the win for the underdogs with a last minute goal, connecting well to an Emir Bajrami shot that came down off the bar to slam home easily from close range.
Despite the loss, the French still advance to the quarters as the second placed in the group thanks to Ukraine’s 0 – 1 loss to England in Donestk. France will meet Group C winners Spain in the next round.
