Euro 2020 Matches 33 and 34: Poland v Sweden and Ireland v Spain

The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2020.

Euro 2020 Matches 33 and 34: Poland v Sweden and Ireland v Spain

Sweden’s Third Place after Draw; Ireland Shock Win over Spain to Take Top Spot

June 26, 2020

Poland 1 Sweden 1

 

Sweden advanced to the Round of 16 as one of the better third-placed teams, while Ireland surprised Spain with a win, and won Group E.

 

Sweden eased into their Poland match with dominance in possession, before their first real foray into the box needing Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny to come out of his area and halt the ball twice.

 

Sebastian Larsson had the first real attempt on goal in the nineteenth minute, leading on to a ball that sliced the Polish defence from the right midfield. His shot, however, was parried away before being cleared.

 

Instead, Poland made the most out at right wing, punting the ball from a failed clearance right into the middle of the 18-yard box. Kamil Grosicki, who had earlier started the charge down midfield, powered the header on goal. Sweden’s Robin Olsen managed to push the ball away, only straight back to Grosicki, who made no mistake the second time round.

 

Sweden went on the charge to level the match with immediacy, and Larsson crossed perfectly to Marcus Berg. Somehow, Szczęsny saved the shot. Larsson then won the ball in the follow up passage of play, only for his left-footer to be partially blocked.

 

Down the Polish end, Grzegorz Krychowiak won a ball in dangerous territory, and no defender went to close him down, so he dribbled closer to shoot, only to miss to the right of goal.

 

Sweden and Poland both attacked but could not find that elusive final blow for the remainder of the half.

 

In the second half, Poland worked around the field as they sought a second goal to put the match beyond doubt and give themselves a real chance at making the Round of 16. Piotr Zieliński had a wild shot as he led onto a ball running from the left wing.

 

The Polish looked to have the edge to at least gain the three points, only it was a fast break halting that notion. Robin Quaison took on the Polish defence alone and scored in the 79th minute, easing the ball to the right of Szczęsny.

 

Desiring back the lead, Poland’s Krychowiak and Player of the Match Grosicki both had shots; the first was blocked, and the second was from too great a distance to trouble the Swedish goalkeeper. Substitute Kamil Jóźwiak had a shot partially blocked, causing Robin Olsen to make an easier save than would be if the ball had passed the defender. Jóźwiak tried twice more to score the winner; the first saw the ball taken away from him as he lined, and the second needing an Olsen left hander to halt its path to goal with the last kick of the match. In the end, the match ended 1-1, much to the delight of the Swedes, regardless of the Ireland-Spain match.

 

Ireland 2 Spain 1

 

Ireland and Spain both made changes as the former attempted to guarantee second place with a win, while Spain wanted to be the first team to win all three group stage matches.

 

Conor Hourihane had the first shot on goal, requiring a David de Gea save. From the corner, David McGoldrick led onto the header and powered with ease into the back of the net.

 

Ireland thought a second goal was needed, and Hourihane and Callum Robinson worked down the right flank, with the latter’s effort not enough to outsmart de Gea.

 

Down the other end, Iniesta set up Sergio Busquets with a choice ball, and though the midfielder ran rings around the defenders, he was unable to get the shot on target.

 

Offsides became the norm for Ireland as they tried through balls to penetrate the Spanish defence, with six offsides registered in the first half alone.

 

Spain looked dangerous down the other end, however, needing that equaliser. Koke had the best chance as he headed for goal, only for Darren Randolph to make the necessary save.

 

Álvaro Morata should have scored as well as he took the defence, only to miss to the right of goal.

 

McGoldrick, though injured, nearly scored in similar fashion to his opening goal, but a clearance off the line halted this time.

 

After the break, Spain took possession of much of the play, leading to Morata passing the ball to Koke, whose shot from ten yards out needing a block. From the corner, Ireland failed to clear, and Iniesta scored from the edge of the box with his left foot.

 

Iago Aspas nearly gave Spain the lead, only for Randolph to make the crucial save. Ireland countered and finally handled their through balls with precision, and Robinson toed the ball into the back of the net before he was closed down.

 

Iniesta had a wild swing with sixteen minutes left, hoping to level the match again, though the shot was nowhere near the goal.

 

Rodrigo attempted the same, but to no avail, as did Paco Alcácer, who had three attempts in total in the closing stages.

 

Instead, Ireland won 2-1, and claimed first place due to defeating the European stalwarts.

 

Spain will take on Portugal in the Round of 16, while Ireland tackle one of the third-placed sides. Sweden will await their opponent as one of the better-placed third nations.

 

	Group E	Pl	W	D	L	Pts	GD
1	Ireland	3	2	0	1	6	+2
2	Spain	3	2	0	1	6	+2
3	Sweden	3	1	1	1	4	-1
4	Poland	3	0	1	2	1	-3