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Late Villa magic ensures Spain progress

14/06/2008

A last-minute winner from David Villa earned Spain a fortunate 2-1 win over Sweden and a place in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008 from group D.

Fernando Torres opened the scoring in the first half with a neat finish before Zlatan Ibrahimovic continued his rich vein of form when he slotted home just after the half-hour mark.

But as the game looked to be plodding towards a dull draw, Villa broke through the defence and applied the finish for a somewhat undeserved Spanish victory.

The game started in a cagey fashion with both teams looking to prod and probe rather than go all out for the win that would virtually guarantee top spot in the group and progress to the knockout stages.

Spain took the lead in the 15th minute as Liverpool striker Torres opened his Euro 2008 account - getting a deft touch on a David Silva cross.

But the Swedes hit back after being forced to emerge from their shell.

And soon they were level, striker Ibrahimovic getting his second goal in as many games to even things up when he picked up a loose ball in the box to fire past Iker Casillas.

Spain had a decent-looking penalty shout turned down near the end of the half as Swedish defender Johan Elmander thundered into the back of Silva, who was waiting for a cross to come down.

However, referee Pieter Vink waved away the Iberian protests.

Sweden were providing the Spaniards with the genuine test their opening game against Russia lacked, and they continued to cause problems in the second half even after Ibrahimovic was forced off with a knee problem.

In truth, Spain lacked the fluidity of their previous performance although it was difficult to tell if this was the fault of the Spanish players or the claustrophobic hustling of the hard-working Swedes.

When they did create chances though, Spain squandered them. First David Villa and then Torres had close-range shots blocked after a patient passing move on the hour.

Marcos Senna had a forward run and long-range effort well saved by a diving Andreas Isaksson, who had taken a blow to the head in the passage of play involving Torres and Villa just minutes earlier.

Sweden appeared to be sitting deeper with every passing minute but Spain were unable to find the key to unlock their tight and disciplined defence.

Then, out of the blue, Villa broke Swedish hearts with a diagonal run, escaping the attentions of the covering defenders and slotting home past Isaksson for a dramatic winner.