European football paid tribute to the victims of attacks in Euro 2016

hosts France during Saturday’s qualifying play-offs which saw Sweden

edge Denmark 2-1 and Ukraine beat Slovenia 2-0 in first leg ties.

A minute’s silence was observed before Saturday’s games  for victims

of the Paris attacks on Friday, one of which was outside the Stade de

France where world champions Germany were playing a friendly against

France.

In Solna, Paris Saint-Germain star Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his

ninth goal in as many qualifiers as Sweden took a slight advantage over

1992 champions Denmark.

Ibrahimovic converted a second half penalty after Emil Forsberg had

scored his first international goal on the stroke of half-time.

But substitute Nicolai Jorgensen grabbed an away-goal lifeline for

Denmark 10 minutes from time ahead of the second leg in Copenhagen on

Tuesday.

A backheel from Jimmy Durmaz allowed Mikael Lustig to sprint away

down the right flank and his pass reached Forsberg at speed and the

Leipzig winger buried a first-time shot into the corner past Kasper

Schmeichel.

The Denmark goalkeeper rescued his team just before the half-time

whistle with a diving save to deny Ibrahimovic’s power-packed free-kick

from just outside the box.

Ibrahimovic made it 2-0 five minutes into the second period,

converting a penalty after Thomas Kahlenburg had clumsily tripped

Forsberg.

It was the 34-year-old’s first goal against the Danes in seven

matches. But with 10 minutes left, substitute Jorgensen latched onto a

Yussuf Poulsen flick-on from an Eriksen corner to boost Denmark’s hopes

of making the finals in France next summer.

Earlier Ukraine took a

comfortable 2-0 lead over Slovenia in Lviv as Andrei Yarmolenko and

Yevhen Seleznyov scored in either half of a bad tempered clash at the

packed 65,000-seat Lviv Arena.

Ukraine, who have lost all five of their previous qualifying

play-offs for major tournaments, dominated early but Samir Handanovic

proved solid in the Slovenian goal in the opening 20 minutes. 

But in the 22nd minute Yarmolenko picked up a rebound after

Handanovic failed to clear Yevhen Konoplyanka’s cross and slotted inside

the far post with a low shot.

Slovenia poured into attack and midfielder Josip Ilicic missed a clear chance to level after 27 minutes. 

After the break, Ukraine continued to press forward and in the 54th

minute Seleznyov got the second with a close range shot off an Artem

Fedetskiy cross.

Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland will be bidding to carry on from

where they left off in their 1-1 first leg draw away to Bosnia in

Dublin on Monday as Hungary edged closer to their first international

tournament in 30 years when they defeated Norway 1-0 on Friday.

Shorn of a host of experienced stars like Shay Given, John O’Shea,

Jon Walters and Shane Long, and with a handful of players one booking

away from suspension, the Irish were more hopeful than expectant.

But Robbie Brady’s 81st-minute strike, combined with some determined

defending, saw them return to Dublin’s Lansdowne Road with a vital away

goal, although there was still time on Friday for Bosnia’s Edin Dzeko to

equalise.

“Everybody walked off the field (fit) and in terms of other players

like Glenn Whelan, Seamus Coleman, Marc Wilson…all those people

(avoided bookings), so in that sense it’s really good news,” O’Neill

said.

On the day that Hungarian international goalkeeper Marton Fulop lost

his battle with cancer at the age of 32, his teammates honoured his

memory with a crucial victory ahead of Sunday’s return in Budapest.

Midfielder Laszlo Kleinheisler marked his international debut with

the game’s only goal in the first half before Hungary, whose last major

event was the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, soaked up constant pressure from

the home side to preserve their advantage.