Sweden and Denmark come through tricky ties

The final few World Cup spots are up for grabs and there are a host of nations across the globe vying for a place at this summer’s tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Eight play-off semi-finals took place in Europe tonight, with the winners advancing to the finals and a chance at qualifying next week.

There was also an inter-confederation clash amidst the chaos, with Bolivia hosting Suriname.

You can catch up with the best of the action across the night, as well as a full list of results, right here on 101GreatGoals.

Denmark get the job done

Denmark produced a dominant second-half display to secure a 4-0 win over North Macedonia, turning a goalless first period into a one-sided contest after the break.

The breakthrough arrived shortly after the restart, as Mikkel Damsgaard finished smartly from close range to finally reward Denmark’s pressure.

Gustav Isaksen then took centre stage, scoring twice in quick succession. His first came from close range following a well-worked move, before adding a third on the counter-attack with a composed finish that effectively ended the contest.

Christian Norgaard rounded off the scoring late on, heading home from a Christian Eriksen delivery to cap a commanding performance.

The visitors offered little in response, with their few attempts failing to seriously trouble Denmark’s defence.

Sweden overcome Ukraine

Sweden secured a convincing 3-1 win over Ukraine, delivering an efficient and clinical performance, particularly in the second half. The visitors made a fast start, taking the lead inside six minutes through Viktor Gyokeres, who converted from close range to give Sweden early control.

Ukraine struggled to respond with real cutting edge, despite enjoying spells of possession, and were punished again shortly after the break.

Gyokeres doubled his tally with a composed finish before later completing his brace from the penalty spot following a foul by Anatoliy Trubin, effectively putting the game beyond reach at 3-0.

To their credit, Ukraine continued to push and were rewarded late on when Matviy Ponomarenko headed home a consolation goal in stoppage time. However, it proved too little, too late to alter the outcome.