Sweden defeated Ukraine 3-1 and Denmark beat North Macedonia 4-0 in the World Cup play-off semi-finals on Thursday evening. Both teams delivered strong second-half performances to secure their places in next week's finals. The matches were part of eight European ties and one inter-confederation clash vying for spots in the 2026 tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Denmark turned a goalless first half into a rout with four second-half goals against North Macedonia. Mikkel Damsgaard opened the scoring shortly after the restart with a close-range finish. Gustav Isaksen then netted twice in quick succession, first from a well-worked move and then on the counter-attack. Christian Norgaard sealed the win late on, heading in a Christian Eriksen corner as Denmark dominated possession and defence alike. North Macedonia managed few threats in reply, as reported by 101GreatGoals. Sweden also impressed in a 3-1 victory over Ukraine. Viktor Gyokeres struck first inside six minutes from close range, giving the hosts early control. Ukraine held possession at times but lacked penetration. Gyokeres added a second after the break with a composed effort and completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot following a foul by Anatoliy Trubin, making it 3-0. Matviy Ponomarenko headed a late consolation for Ukraine in stoppage time, but Sweden advanced comfortably. Other results from the European play-off semi-finals included: Turkey 1-0 Romania; Czech Republic 2-2 Ireland (Czech Republic won on penalties); Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland; Poland 2-1 Albania; Slovakia 3-4 Kosovo; and Wales 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia won on penalties). Bolivia hosted Suriname in an inter-confederation match. The winners will contest the play-off finals next week for the remaining World Cup berths.
