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Oleg Blokhin's side dominated possession early on but Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave Sweden the lead shortly after the break, scoring from close range while Ukraine had a player down injured.

But two goals in seven minutes from Shevchenko turned the co-hosts' fortunes around and gave them a win in their first European Championship finals to top the group.

It was a cagey start synonymous with many of the opening fixtures, and no real chances were fashioned in the opening 15 minutes.

Ibrahimovic was an early aerial target from set pieces but Sweden were having no joy, before the Milan forward found space on the right-hand side of the box, curling a dangerous ball towards the far post which Andreas Isaksson parried away.

Shevchenko nearly sent the crowd wild when he was found in the area, but Ukraine's talismanic striker skewed his shot well wide of the far post after being forced out to an acute angle.

The game finally started to open up past the half-hour, when first Yevhen Konoplyanka struck a beautiful curling effort just wide from distance before a golden chance fell to Andriy Yarmolenko inside the area, but some heroic last-ditch defending from the Swedes kept the scoresheet blank.

Ibrahimovic was then inches away from opening the scoring, connecting freely with a floated ball over from the right, but his header flicked agonisingly wide off the far post.

Ukraine started the second half as brightly as they ended the first, but it was Sweden who went ahead.

Left-back Yevhen Selin was down injured but Sweden played on, and Larsson’s cross fell to Kim Kallstrom, who passed low for Ibrahimovic to stab home from close range.

The lead was brief, however. Yarmolenko played in a superb cross from the right, and Shevchenko rose to power a header inside Isaksson's near post.

Six minutes later Shevchenko struck again, racing to the near post to meet Konoplankya's corner and head low into the net to give the co-hosts the lead.

Ibrahimovic nearly produced an equaliser, unleashing a fearsome towards goal from 20 yards which Pyatov knew very little about as it ricocheted off him and was cleared.

Hero of the hour Shevchenko came off with ten minutes left to a well-deserved ovation as Sweden continued to push forward and test the Ukraine defence, with substitute Christian Wilhelmsson providing much of the threat.

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