KIEV, June 15 (Reuters) – A clever Danny Welbeck goal fired
England to a 3-2 comeback victory against Sweden in a pulsating
Euro 2012 game on Friday that put them joint top of Group D with
France and eliminated the Swedes.
Striker Andy Carroll, in the starting lineup in place of
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, rewarded coach Roy Hodgson’s faith with
a stunning 23rd-minute header to put England ahead in an
action-packed encounter.
But a Glen Johnson own goal and a close-range header from an
unmarked Olof Mellberg after the break put Sweden 2-1 ahead
before substitute Theo Walcott sent a swerving effort through a
crowd of players past unsighted Sweden goalkeeper Andreas
Isaksson.
Walcott’s pace then took him past the defence in the 78th
minute and he squared for Welbeck to score with a deft backheel
with his back to goal to snatch the three points and England’s
first victory over Sweden in a competitive international.
England and France are top with four points, co-hosts
Ukraine have three and Sweden are bottom with none.
(Writing by Iain Rogers, editing by Ken Ferris)
