Italy took a decisive step towards a semi-final place with a 2-1 win against Sweden in Group A, despite playing nearly an hour with ten men following Mario Balotelli’s first-half dismissal.

Acquafresca scores
The FC Internazionale Milano striker had opened the scoring midway through the half with a terrific curling shot, but seven minutes before the break he kicked out at Pontus Wernbloom and was shown a straight red card. Sweden pressed after the break, but were unable to make their man-advantage tell, falling further behind on 53 minutes when Robert Acquafresca headed in. Though Ola Toivonen struck late on it was not enough.

Sweden press
The home fans were out in strength on the Midsummer national holiday and their team looked to pick up from where they left off after their 5-1 win against Belarus. They were almost gifted a dream start when Salvatore Bocchetti’s mis-hit back pass almost let Marcus Berg – the hat-trick here against Belarus – through on goal. Italy goalkeeper Andrea Consigli was quickly off his line to hassle the striker into a wayward pass of his own. Sweden, though, had seized the initiative and moments later Mikael Lustig narrowly headed over. Consigli had to be alert again on 12 minutes to hold Rasmus Elm’s low deflected free-kick at his right post.

Balotelli scores
Italy coach Pierluigi Casiraghi had kept faith with this front three of Acquafresca, Sebastian Giovinco and Balotelli, and the trio combined well on 18 minutes. Balotelli’s first-time ball picked out Giovinco, whose pass was fractionally too long for Acquafresca. The warning signs were there and five minutes later Italy were ahead. The increasingly influential Giovinco picked out Balotelli on the left with a chipped pass and the striker cut inside before sending a wonderful curling shot beyond Johan Dahlin.

Red card
Giovinco was running the game and showed his confidence with an audacious chipped shot from near the centre circle that had Dahlin back-peddling before gratefully seeing the ball land on the roof of the net. Italy’s ascendancy, however, was short-lived. An increasingly bad tempered game had already seen three Swedish players booked when, seven minutes before half-time, goalscorer Balotelli kicked out at the prone Pontus Wernbloom and was dismissed.

Acquafresca scores
Sweden had fallen behind in their three previous matches and recovered to win and they scented a chance again here, Emir Bajrami firing over before the break. Two minutes after the restart Berg also came close when he lashed a shot across the face of goal. It was Italy, though, who struck next. Giovinco won a free-kick near the corner flag and took it himself, whipping a ball into the near post where Acquafresca, the Azzurrini’s top scorer in qualifying, gleefully headed into the far corner.

Toivonen consolation
Sweden rallied and twice Toivonen dragged wide when well placed while Consigli got down well to keep out Wernbloom’s low strike. Sweden introduced Labinot Harbuzi and Martin Olsson midway through the half and the latter twice came close before the hosts’ pressure finally told two minutes from time as Toivonen lashed in. It came too late to save the game, however, and Italy will face Belarus on Tuesday confident of claiming a place in the last four while Sweden have it all to do against Serbia.

Line Ups

Sweden: Dahlin; Lustig, Bjasmyr, Bengtsson, Johansson; Elm, Svensson (Harbuzi 65′), Wernbloom; Bajrami (Olsson 65′), Toivonen, Berg

Italy: Consigli; Motta, Andreolli, Bochetti, Criscito; Cigarini, De Ceglie, Marchisio (Dessena 86′); Giovinco (Abate 61′), Balotelli, Acquafresca (Rannochia)

Goals

Sweden Toivonen 88′

Italy: Balotelli 23′, Acquafresca 52′