Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck a late goal to give Sweden a battling 1-1 draw with a vastly-improved Italy side playing without suspended playmaker Francesco Totti in a storming Group C clash on Friday.

The points seemed to be heading Italy's way till Ibrahimovic hooked the ball into the top corner with his back to the goal from close-range after a scramble in the area in the 85th minute.

• Images from the match

Italy had taken the lead after 37 minutes with a header from 21-year-old Antonio Cassano and outplayed a determined Sweden team for long periods of an abosrbing match.

Sweden next meet Scandinavian rivals Denmark in their final match with both teams on four points with Italy, who have two points, facing an easier match against eliminated Bulgaria.

Only some inspired goalkeeping from former Juventus youngster Andreas Isaksson in the Swedish goal had prevented Italy from extending their lead.

Totti, banned by UEFA for three matches for spitting and booed by the Swedish fans when his image was flashed on the stadium TV screen, could only watch from the stands.

He can return if they reach the semi-finals, although Italy played well enough without him compared to their lacklustre display against Denmark in their goalless opening match.

Italy attacked for most of a pulsating first half and had five goal attempts from Alessandro Del Piero and Christian Vieri before breaking the deadlock eight minutes before the break.

Christian Panucci, who had an excellent match marauding down the left flank, created the goal with a left-footed inswinging cross for Cassano who stooped low to glance the ball past Isaksson for his second goal in his fifth international.

The only downside for Italy were bookings for midfielder Gennaro Gattuso and defender Fabio Cannavaro, and both will miss their final group match against Bulgaria, along with Totti.

Bulgaria, already eliminated after their 2-0 defeat to Denmark earlier, will probably not pose too much of a threat to Italy if they show this kind of form again next Tuesday.

With Alessandro Nesta and Cannavaro outstanding at the back and Gianluigi Buffon unbeatable in goal, Italy had looked impregnable.

The tirless running of Gattuso and Simone Perrotta in midfield limited Sweden's options -- so much so that their leading striker Henrik Larsson was limited to watching and waiting -- and he did not have a goal attempt until midway through the second half when he blasted high and wide.

Sweden, needing a win to ensure a quarter-final place, looked lively on the break at times and both Fredrik Ljungberg and Ibrahimovic went close in the first half but failed to find the target until his late goal saved a point.

Teams:

Italy: (4-3-3) 1-Gianluigi Buffon; 2-Christian Panucci, 13-Alessandro Nesta, 5-Fabio Cannavaro, 19-Gianluca Zambrotta; 8-Gennaro Gattuso (15-Giuseppe Favalli 76), 21-Andrea Pirlo, 20-Simone Perrotta; 18-Antonio Cassano (14-Stefano Fiore 70), 7-Alessandro Del Piero (16-Mauro Camoranesi 82), 9-Christian Vieri.

Sweden: (4-4-2) 1-Andreas Isaksson; 7-Mikael Nilsson, 3-Olof Mellberg, 15-Andreas Jakobsson, 5-Erik Edman (20-Marcus Allback 77); 21-Christian Wilhelmsson (18-Mattias Jonson 67), 6-Tobias Linderoth, 8-Anders Svensson (16-Kim Kallstrom 55), 9-Fredrik Ljungberg; 10-Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 11-Henrik Larsson.

Referee: Urs Meier (Switzerland)

Linesmen: Francesco Buragina (Switzerland), Rudolf Kappeli (Switzerland)