Sweden hold on to beat Moldova
Sweden move up to second in Group E
Last Updated: March 29, 2011 9:09pm
Larsson: On target
Sweden had to withstand a late barrage from Moldova to claim a valuable 2-1 win in their Euro 2012 qualifier in Soha.
The Swedes were able to break the deadlock on the half hour courtesy of a strike from Mikael Lustig to give them the lead.
But the result of the game was not confirmed until eight minutes from the end when Sebastian Larsson notched Sweden's second, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic missing from the spot before the interval.
Gutsy Moldova were able to salvage some pride when Alexandr Suvorov grabbed a consolation goal.
Sweden were given a tough time in the first half as the eastern Europeans, who had started the game level on points with Sweden, showed they would be no pushovers.
Stunning
The mercurial Ibrahimovic had almost opened the scoring with a stunning overhead kick that flew over before Viorel Frunza gave warning of his side's threat with a long-range effort that fizzed wide.
The Swedes' early nerves were settled by defender Lustig on the half-hour when he latched onto a Larsson assist to fire home from six yards.
The hosts should have had a second just before half-time when Ibrahimovic was felled in the area by Igor Armas, but the AC Milan striker's powerful penalty was blocked by Stanislav Namasco.
A second goal before the break would have been harsh on the Moldovans, who remained in the game deep into the second period, albeit without posing the same kind of threat.
Eventually Sweden got the second goal they had been searching for when Ibrahimovic cleverly laid the ball inside for Larsson to squeeze his shot past Namasco.
With time ticking down Moldova got themselves on the scoreboard when the Sweden defence only partially cleared and Suvorov lashed home, with his unfancied right foot, from just outside the area.
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Tables
European Championship Qualifying Group A
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 10 | 30 |
| 2 | Turkey | 10 | 17 |
| 3 | Belgium | 10 | 15 |
| 4 | Austria | 10 | 12 |
| 5 | Azerbaijan | 10 | 7 |
| 6 | Kazakhstan | 10 | 4 |
European Championship Qualifying Group B
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 10 | 23 |
| 2 | Republic of Ireland | 10 | 21 |
| 3 | Armenia | 10 | 17 |
| 4 | Slovakia | 10 | 15 |
| 5 | Macedonia | 10 | 8 |
| 6 | Andorra | 10 | 0 |
European Championship Qualifying Group C
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 10 | 26 |
| 2 | Estonia | 10 | 16 |
| 3 | Serbia | 10 | 15 |
| 4 | Slovenia | 10 | 14 |
| 5 | Northern Ireland | 10 | 9 |
| 6 | Faroe Islands | 10 | 4 |
European Championship Qualifying Group D
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 10 | 21 |
| 2 | Bosnia | 10 | 20 |
| 3 | Romania | 10 | 14 |
| 4 | Belarus | 10 | 13 |
| 5 | Albania | 10 | 9 |
| 6 | Luxembourg | 10 | 4 |
European Championship Qualifying Group E
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 10 | 27 |
| 2 | Sweden | 10 | 24 |
| 3 | Hungary | 10 | 19 |
| 4 | Finland | 10 | 10 |
| 5 | Moldova | 10 | 9 |
| 6 | San Marino | 10 | 0 |
European Championship Qualifying Group F
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece | 10 | 24 |
| 2 | Croatia | 10 | 22 |
| 3 | Israel | 10 | 16 |
| 4 | Latvia | 10 | 11 |
| 5 | Georgia | 10 | 10 |
| 6 | Malta | 10 | 1 |
European Championship Qualifying Group G
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 8 | 18 |
| 2 | Montenegro | 8 | 12 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 8 | 11 |
| 4 | Wales | 8 | 9 |
| 5 | Bulgaria | 8 | 5 |
European Championship Qualifying Group H
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 8 | 19 |
| 2 | Portugal | 8 | 16 |
| 3 | Norway | 8 | 16 |
| 4 | Iceland | 8 | 4 |
| 5 | Cyprus | 8 | 2 |
European Championship Qualifying Group I
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 8 | 24 |
| 2 | Czech Republic | 8 | 13 |
| 3 | Scotland | 8 | 11 |
| 4 | Lithuania | 8 | 5 |
| 5 | Liechtenstein | 8 | 4 |
Sebastian Larsson
