EURO 2012 Unbiased Match Reports Monday 11th June – Group D
France 1 England 1
Donetsk
With mighty England sat at #6 in the FIFA rankings, seeing off lowly France (14), Sweden (17) and Ukraine (52) may have seemed an easy task. Unfortunately the outcomes of football tournaments are decided on the pitch not inside the whirring brain of FIFA’s supercomputer. Indeed, recent form suggests France is a decent side and led me to tip them to win the thing. They have a fine keeper, an adequate defence and are spoiled for choice going forward.
England with a new manager and a host of injured internationals have few selection problems. The defence and centre midfield pretty much picks itself – if you’re fit, you play – and Young and Milner did enough in recent weeks to ensure a start. On the day Roy opted for the pace and guile of Welbeck over the brute force of Carroll and the unpredictability of Oxo rather than Downing.
The Donbass Arena looked glorious and, despite rumours of fewer England fans travelling this year, the cross of St George was much in evidence in Shaktar’s stadium; however the sight of Ray Clemence being carried from the field during the warm-up could not have done much to inspire the English horde. A major factor in the match would be the oppressive midsummer heat of Eastern Ukraine. The choice of substitutes in the latter stages of the game would surely be important in determining the outcome.
Teams :
France
Lloris, Debuchy, Rami, Mexes, Evra, Cabaye, Diarra, Malouda, Nasri, Ribery and Benzema. Subs: Ben Arfa (for Cabaye – 84) and Martin (for Malouda – 84).
England
Hart, Johnson, Terry, Lescott, Cole, Milner, Gerrard, Parker, Chamberlain, Young and Welbeck. Subs: Defoe (for Oxo – 77), Henderson (for Parker – 77) and Walcott (for Welbeck – 90).
Match Report :
England immediately assumed the 4-4-1-1 formation we’d seen in the recent friendlies and pretty much stayed in it all night. France moved the ball purposefully and soon created a chance for Nasri who fired just wide of Hart’s near post.
England’s first chance was a great one with Milner found by Young’s cute pass as he burst into the box. He rounded Lloris and, with the goal beckoning, hit a poor shot wide of the near post. Oxo was looking good and left defenders in his wake on numerous occasions. He played one terrific ball to Young who was just offside but a late challenge on Debuchy earned the youngster a yellow card and from that point on he was less involved.
The French were never slow to push or trip their opponents but the Italian referee was never moved to punish their indiscretions. He did however award England a free kick near the right hand touchline on the half-hour which Gerrard ballooned far beyond the box. Fortunately the referee was dealing with pushing and shoving in the box at the time so the ball was returned to en gland’s captain to try again. His second cross was right on the money and Lescott rose to power his header beyond Lloris. 0-1.
France came in search of a leveller and Joe Hart made a brilliant stop from a powerful Diarra header but Les Bleus were not to be denied. A sweet move on the left flank saw the ball reach Ribery. The Bayern man turned it back to Nasri who fired a low drive that beat club-mate Hart at his near post. 1-1.
Benzema had been sitting deep and keeping quiet most of the half but he suddenly got involved and Cole did well to block his shot.
France kept the pressure on at the start of the second half and Hart made a good save from a powerful Benzema shot. Johnson rescued England on more than one occasion. He made a terrific block as Benzema looked to score and later swept up behind his defence as the French one more threatened to break through.
England dropped deeper and deeper and Welbeck was left isolated up front. Oxo had vanished from the game so it was no surprise when he and the tiring Parker were replaced by Defoe and Henderson for the last 15 minutes.
France kept looking for a winner and Hart was pleased to see a fierce shot from Cabaye deflect off Welbeck and fizz past his post. Cabaye was soon substituted along with Malouda as France sought to freshen up their midfield.
England rarely threatened but they kept their shape and were still level at the end. France had played more football and Benzema had threatened to break our resistance but could never beat Hart.
It was a good point under the circumstances and one which both sides might have settled for without playing for 90+ minutes in that heat. France play here again on Friday against Ukraine whilst England meet Sweden in Kiev – and Rooney completes his international suspension…..
MOM: Johnson (England)
Ukraine 2 Sweden 1
Kiev
Ukraine has a turbulent history and is still seen as a rogue state in some quarters. Nationalism, particularly when allied to football thuggery, is never cool and trendy. Yet I defy any rational human being to be unmoved by the sights and sounds of Kiev’s Olympic Stadium as their national anthem thundered around the ground. What a fabulous atmosphere!
With both nation’s flags yellow and blue the stadium was completely bedecked in these colours, adding to the spectacle. Sweden had a decent following but were severely outnumbered by enthusiastic home fans.
The contest also brought together two of football’s greatest players – Schevchenko and Ibrahimovic who exchanged pennants as team captains. Neither is well regarded by our one-dimensional press who see the Premiership as the be all and end all of modern football. The fact these players were hugely successful in Italy and regarded as near-deities in their home countries is routinely ignored.
Teams :
Ukraine
Pyatov, Selin, Khacheridi, Mykhalyk, Tymoshchuk, Gusev, Yarmalenko, Nazarenko, Konoplienka, Shevchenko and Voronin. Subs: Milevskiy (for Schevchenko 81), Rotan (for Voronin – 84) and Devic (Konoplienka – 90).
Sweden
Isaksson, Lustig, Mellberg, Granqvist, Olsson M, Larsson, Elm, Kallstrom, Toivonen, Ibrahimovic and Rosenberg. Subs: Svensson (for Toivonen – 63), Wilhelmsson (for Larsson – 69) and Elmander (for Rosenberg – 71).
Match Report :
Sweden’s normal line-up was disrupted by Elmander’s injury so they were obliged to play Rosenberg upfront. Ibrahimovic plays deeper for his country and soon began to threaten the home side. He was ill-supported by a number of his team mates – Rosenberg, Toivonen and the normally reliable Seb Larsson all looked out of sorts.
At the other end Schevchenko was largely anonymous but that mattered little as his colleagues were well up for the contest and created a number of chances. A good few fell to the highly-rated Konoplienka but the winger had clearly not brought his shooting boots! Voronin (Shevchenko’s bag-man throughout his career) was looking lively and had a fine drive fielded by Sweden’s keeper.
Only once did the ball fall kindly for Schevchenko but the striker dragged his shot wide of Isaksson’s back post. Ibrahimovic also spurned his best chance of the half when he headed against the post with just the keeper to beat.
After the break both sides carried on seeking an opening and it was the away team that broke the deadlock. With a Ukrainian player lying prostrate a number of his team-mates expected Sweden to put the ball out of play. This confusion only happens in international matches as each national league has determined what should happen in these circumstances. Most of northern Europe takes the view that it is the referee’s decision to stop play. With him seemingly happy to play on, that is what Sweden did.
They worked the ball down the right wing and lofted a cross into the box where a dreadful defensive header Yarmalenko merely diverted the ball to Kallstrom’s feet. The Lyon player fired it back across the box where Ibrahimovic turned it in. 0-1.
Yarmalenko who’d looked good going forward soon redeemed himself with a peach of a cross to the near post where Schevchenko got in front of Mellberg and powered home an equaliser. 1-1 and the stadium erupted!
Nazarenko had also looked a decent player and it was his corner that brought Ukraine’s winner. He fired it in from the left flank and Shevchenko again moved first and stuck his header just inside the near post. 2-1 and ecstasy consumed Kiev!
Sweden replaced the unimpressive Elm with Anders Svensson and Larsson with the speedy winger Wilhelmsson. These two did alter the balance of power and Sweden drove forward in search of an equaliser. Ibrahimovic hit a fabulous shot which the keeper was happy to parry away.
Finally Sweden risked bringing on Elmander and the centre forward should have put them level. He lashed a close range shot high and wide when the impressive Wilhelmsson might have scored. With time running out Mellberg was sent up front and his deft lob back across goal beat the keeper but landed on the roof of the net.
As time ran out we saw Voronin and Shevchenko, now substituted, arm in arm on the touchline as they waited for the final whistle. When it came the stadium erupted in joy and Blokhin and his captain danced a jig of delight on the pitch.
Both this, and the England/France tie, were well contested matches. Ukraine won this one through a more adventurous approach and better teamwork – plus the fact their world class striker is still lethal in the box.
It is difficult to assess the relative strength of the Group D teams but this should become clearer after the second round of matches on Friday. France will be wary of a buoyant Ukraine and England may face a much changed Swedish starting XI as too many of their players underperformed in Kiev.
MOM: Schevchenko (Ukraine)
EURO 2012 Unbiased Match Reports Friday 15th June – Group D
Ukraine 0 France 2
Donetsk
Donetsk is the easternmost outpost of Euro 2012. It is Ukraine’s 5th largest city with a population just under a million. The Donetsk Oblast (province) is home to about 5 million or 10% of Ukraine’s population.
Only if you’ve spent this month on the moon would you not know Donetsk was founded by Welsh miners in the mid-19th century and originally named Yuzovka after John Hughes. In the Soviet period it was renamed Stalino which may have earned brownie points from Uncle Joe but rather reflected the source of the area’s wealth – stalin means steel.
Donetsk remains a centre for traditional heavy industries and still earns a living from mining and metals. But being a relatively modern city Donetsk has no cramped old quarter and is spacious and well laid out. Indeed the vast areas of parkland along the banks of the Kalmius earned Donetsk the nickname “City of a Million Roses”.
Needless to say the 20th century saw Ukraine suffer mightily, be it famine under the Soviets or genocide under the Nazis. Donetsk endured all this too but proximity to Mother Russia means this city tends to look east rather than west. There are half a million ethnic Russians living in and around Donetsk and Russian not Ukrainian is the language spoken here.
The 50,000 seater Donbass Arena was opened in 2009 and is arguably Europe’s finest football ground. No expense was spared by filthy-rich Shaktar owner Rinat Akhmetov and his team have since won 3 league titles on the bounce and regularly compete in the Champions League. They were the last ever holders of the UEFA cup (before this Europa League nonsense came about).
The stadium was decked in blue and yellow as the hosts prepared to face France but a violent storm broke as the teams took the field. Everyone was drenched during the anthems and the Marseillaise was interrupted by an enormous clap of thunder.
The game kicked off but after just 4 minutes, with lightning rattling round the stadium roof, Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers was obliged to lead the teams from the field. Fans fled for cover as rain lashed down. Meanwhile the storm provided dramatic viewing for millions of TV viewers. There was a time when that amount of water arriving on a pitch would have meant certain abandonment but it is a testament to the quality of modern stadium design that the game could be restarted after just 55 minutes.
Teams :
Ukraine
Pyatov, Selin, Khacheridi, Mykhalyk, Tymoshchuk, Gusev, Yarmalenko, Nazarenko, Konoplienka, Shevchenko and Voronin. Subs: Devic (for Voronin – 46), Milevskiy (for Nazarenko – 60) and Aliev (for Yarmalenko).
France
Lloris, Debuchy, Rami, Mexes, Clichy, Cabaye, Diarra, Nasri, Ribery, Benzema and Menez. Subs: M’Vila (for Cabaye – 68), Martin (for Menez – 73) and Giroud (for Benzema – 75).
Match Report :
Coach Blokhin had kept faith with the team that showed such resilience against Sweden but Laurent Blanc made 2 changes – Clichy for Evra and Menez for Malouda, giving Nasri a more withdrawn role on the left.
The game resumed and though the pitch was damp the ball rolled and bounced OK. The French soon got into their stride and the fluency of their passing carved through the team in yellow on numerous occasions.
Benzema led the line gamely for France and it was he who got the first chance on 6 minutes, brushing past Yarmalenko to curl in a right footed shot which Pyatov grabbed at the 2nd attempt.
Ukraine’s first chance saw Shevchenko break from the halfway line but the wily Mexes sent him down a blind alley. More French attacks saw an overhit corner reach Debuchy whose shot was easily held.
Ribery was involved in much of France’s best play and on 16 minutes his cute pass to Menez was blasted home - but the striker was rightly flagged offside. This was about the only decision that official got right all night as he constantly gave defenders the benefit when level with attackers.
One of Ukraine’s rare forays forward saw Shevchenko hurtling down the left as Voronin broke into the box. Ten years ago you’d have expected those two to conjure a goal but the 2012 versions were thwarted by Mexes’ interception.
On 26 minutes Ribery robbed the dawdling Nazarenko and laid the ball back but Benzema and Menez got in each other’s way – the latter eventually firing over.
Ukraine struggled to string passes together and their attempts to get forward were routinely blocked by Diarra. The big midfielder simply took the ball off them and sent Nasri or Ribery on their way. Benzema created a golden opportunity for Menez on the half hour but the shot was too close to Pyatov who held onto it.
Shevchenko at last got sight of goal and brought a decent save from Lloris. Up the other end a Nasri free kick was met by Mexes’ bullet header which Pyatov did well to turn wide. From the corner Diarra’s header was blocked by defenders.
Menez had already picked up a booking for a foul on Shevchenko and should have seen red for a crude hack at Selin. The ref decided to do nothing and half time arrived. Voronin had looked off the pace and did not appear after the break – replaced by Devic.
France were soon back on the front foot and two more chances for Menez were not taken. Lloris was then mightily relieved to see a long range blast from Shevchenko sail past the woodwork. Inspired by this Tymoshchuk made a rare appearance in the French half, firing over the bar.
This brief spell of Ukraine pressure allowed the French to counter-attack and they did so expertly. Ribery surged forward to feed Benzema who turned the ball to Menez. The youngster struck a low, hard shot into the corner. 0-1.
Three minutes later France killed the game. Benzema again set it up, cutting in from the right and spotting Cabaye in the middle. As the ball arrived Cabaye shrugged off Gusev before sticking it through his legs and beyond the keeper. 0-2 and an eerie silence fell on the Donbass.
Substitutions came in flurries but, if anything, Ukraine now saw even less of the ball. France strung together pass after pass and made the co-hosts look rather poor. One momentous French move ended with Cabaye’s shot hitting the post.
Ribery was bundled to the ground just outside the box on 72 minutes. He grabbed the ball and hit the free kick over the bar. Ukraine still mustered the odd attack but never really troubled Lloris. Giroud, on for Benzema, then hit his first opportunity horribly wide.
On 81 minutes Mexes fouled Milevskiy on the edge of the box. Aliev had a real chance but his shot went miles over. M’Vila then skied one at the other end. Both sides adopted a shoot on sight policy but, apart from one Nasri effort that needed saving, most were off target.
It had been a long and ultimately painful night for the home fans. Ukraine had tried so hard but France were now looking the team I thought they might be when I tipped them to win this thing.
MOM: Diarra (France)
Sweden 2 England 3
Kiev
With all Sweden’s games to be played in Kiev’s Olympic Stadium, their fans had arrived here in huge numbers. It is rare for England to play a tournament with a minority of supporters but here they were outnumbered by some 4 to 1.
Behind one goal was a massive Swedish flag and the yellow and blue décor of the seats made it feel like Stockholm. But this rather fell into the hands of England’s management team who are playing the “underdog” thing for all it is worth.
Teams :
Sweden
Isaksson, Granqvist, Mellberg, Olsson J, Olsson M, Larsson, Elm, Svensson, Kallstrom, Ibrahimovic and Elmander. Subs: Lustig (for Granqvist – 66), Rosenberg (for Elmander – 79) and Wilhelmsson (for Elm – 81).
###England
Hart, Johnson, Terry, Lescott, Cole, Milner, Gerrard, Parker, Young, Carroll and Welbeck. Subs: Walcott (for Milner – 60) and Chamberlain (for Welbeck – 22).
Match Report :
Sweden swapped right backs and brought back defender Jonas Olssen, Elmander up front and former saints favourite Anders Svensson in the centre of midfield. Roy made just one change. Oxo was left on the bench and Carroll played up alongside Welbeck.
England had been content to contain the French but fancied their chances better against Sweden. An early indication of intent came when Parker burst through but his firm drive was well saved by Isaksson. Sweden’s first shot on goal was by Larsson but Hart safely held it. Carroll was over-excited and many of his early interventions resulted in free kicks to Sweden.
Milner had clearly been told to deliver crosses which he did. The first was on the money but Carroll glanced it wide. Welbeck got the next but did no better.
Midway through the half England conjured a goal that had “Made in Liverpool” written all over it. Gerrard had the ball on the right of midfield and hoisted a long ball diagonally into the box. Carroll leapt above two defenders and crashed his header past the keeper. 0-1. England fans were now making all the noise.
Sweden struggled to make anything happen but Ibrahimovic posed their one constant threat. His power enabled him to brush aside English defenders and he was always the Swede most likely to hurt us. One powerful run past Terry left the Chelsea man wallowing in his wake. Later he strode through Parker’s attempted block and fired straight at Hart.
With half time nigh, Sweden created chances. Kallstrom fired over and Hart dived bravely at the feet of Elmander as he closed in on goal. Then Welbeck looked to widen England’s lead but was superbly tackled by Mellberg. When half time arrived there had still been no serious threat to England’s lead.
That all changed after the break. Sweden came out much more determined and pressed England back. Carroll’s clumsy foul on Ibrahimovic allowed Sweden’s captain a direct shot on goal. His first strike rebounded off the wall but his next found Mellberg loitering with intent and played onside by Johnson. The big Swede fired a cross shot which turned away by Hart but England’s right back compounded his error by running the ball into his own net off the post. 1-1.
Johnson was not credited with the own goal but it would not have beaten Hart without his intervention. Having said that, Johnson again looked England’s best defender on the night. As Sweden turned the screw he made a number of game-changing tackles and interventions - so I’ll now stop saying that he cannot defend!
The weight of history seemed to drag England down. Their appalling record against Sweden was haunting them once more and you could feel the whole nation sigh as a horrible ball downfield by Lescott sailed uselessly into touch.
A second Swedish goal duly arrived. Milner’s lazy lunge into the back of Olssen brought him a yellow card and Larsson a free kick. The Sunderland man hit a simple ball to the back stick where Mellberg, completely unmarked, had the simple task of nodding it past Hart. 2-1. Here we bloody go again!
With Milner now looking a liability Roy swiftly replaced him with Walcott. We weren’t to know it but this was quite the most inspired substitution any England manager has ever made.
This England team may not have much class but they show plenty of guts. They drove forward looking for a way back. The industrious Johnson fired a fabulous cross for Terry but Isaksson managed to turn his point-blank header over the bar.
The corner was swung in from the left, headed clear by Jonas Olsson but collected outside the box by Theo. He took a touch to give himself shooting room and blasted a swirling shot over the advancing defence. Whether Isaksson saw it late I don’t know but he was comprehensively beaten. 2-2. Phew!
The match became a real battle with both sides creating – and wasting – chances. Seemed Sweden were looking the more likely with Kallstrom firing just wide and then Hart doing superbly to turn Ibrahimovic’s effort round the post.
But it was another intervention by Theo that broke the deadlock. Collecting the ball on the right side of the box he drove between defenders and delivered a low, firm cross. It seemed it would pass behind Welbeck but the United striker span and back-heeled the ball into the far corner. 2-3.
If England were France, or Italy or Spain they’d have shut up shop at that point and denied their opponents the ball for the last 15 minutes. But this is England - so the match continued on the same knockabout path. Sweden brought on Wilhelmsson and continued to threaten and England fought them off in gung-ho fashion.
As time ran out Sweden resorted to hoofing it and England looked more comfortable heading balls back down the park. There was a brief scare when Theo looked injured but he was able to continue and near the end Oxo replaced Welbeck.
In injury time Sweden stopped defending entirely and England were able to exploit the empty space in their half. Gerrard opted to shoot from 30 yards when the smart move was passing back to Hart. Moments later England were away again pouring towards the Swedish goal. Theo steamed down the right and crossed for Gerrard who managed to hit Isaksson when scoring looked easier.
Sweden created one last chance which Olssen headed over and the camera zoomed in on Ibrahimovic’s face – Sweden were out and his expression spoke volumes. I can’t feel too sorry for the big #10 – at least he gets to play in these tournaments. Great talents like George Best and Ryan Giggs never had that chance.
Remember England’s last competitive comeback? I think it was probably against Cameroon in 1990. This has been a long time coming – so has finally beating the bloody Swedes!
So far so good for Roy’s boys. We’ve shared the spoils with a footballing side and out-battled a physical one. On Tuesday Ukraine poses a different problem altogether and England still need a point to reach the ¼ finals. Whatever happens it won’t be a comfortable watch.
MOM: Walcott (England)
EURO 2012 Unbiased Match Reports Tuesday 19th June – Group D
Sweden 2 France 0
Kiev
It was a hot, sultry night in Kiev and there was an “end of term” feel at the Olympic Stadium. The vagaries of last December’s Euro draw saw Sweden play all 3 of their matches here and their fans flocked to Kiev in their tens of thousands. Many had stayed for a week and a half and at one end of the ground a Swedish flag with the message “Thank You Kiev” suggested a decent time had been enjoyed here.
Sweden’s footballers were less likely to have enjoyed themselves. First against Ukraine and then against England they had established a lead yet lost both matches. Whilst the huge numbers of yellow clad supporters were intent on enjoying a farewell party against France, the Swedish team still believed they had a point to prove.
It was also a poignant night for two elder statesmen of Swedish football. Olof Mellberg and Anders Svensson were starting for Sweden for what was almost certainly the last time. They were earning their 117th and 130th caps respectively.
France with a win and a draw were on the brink of qualifying. It would take a sizeable win by Croatia against England to see France eliminated and the news of Rooney’s goal soon after half time made that result unlikely. However that raised another problem for Les Bleus. Should England get a better result than them, they’d end up second in Group D and facing Spain on Saturday.
Teams :
Sweden
Isaksson, Granqvist, Mellberg, Olsson J, Olsson M, Larsson, Svensson, Kallstrom, Bajrami, Ibrahimovic and Toivonen. Subs: Wilhelmsson (for Bajrami – 46), Holmen (for Svensson – 78) and Wernbloom for Toivonen.
France
Lloris, Debuchy, Rami, Mexes, Clichy, Nasri, Diarra, M’Vila, Ribery, Benzema and Ben Arfa. Subs: Malouda (for Ben Arfa – 59), Menez (for Nasri – 77) and Giroud (for M’Vila – 83).
Match Report :
Sweden dropped the disappointing Elm and Elmander bringing in Bajrami wide left and Toivonen upfront. France put Ben Arfa wide left bringing Nasri and M’Vila into midfield dropping Menez and Cabaye to the bench. Sweden wore their yellow and blue while France lined up all in white.
Sweden immediately took the game to France with both Toivonen and Larsson getting early headed chances. Ben Arfa got Frances’s first opening but his angled shot went wide.
It was already an end-to-end match and Ribery might have opened the scoring on 8 minutes but Isaksson made a fine save. The game continued in this fashion with attempts at either end – neither keeper was tested though as the shots were coming from distance and were either wide of target or blocked by defenders.
It wasn’t the greatest football but with two well-matched teams going at it there was plenty to keep the punters entertained. Both sides were prepared to stick a leg out too and the middle period of the half saw a string of free kicks awarded. One of these was awarded when Larsson fouled Ribery some 40 yards from goal. Rami took a shot at goal but it was still rising as it soared over the bar.
France enjoyed more of the ball and mounted more attacks but Sweden defended stoutly. Then with half time approaching Sweden took over. They finished the half on top but most attacks were ended by the linesman’s flag as the wily French back line stepped up catching Toivonen offside.
Christian Wilhelmsson had looked decent coming off the bench in previous games but now he was given a whole 45 minutes, replacing the largely anonymous Bajrami. Sweden are quick off the blocks once more, driven forward by Wilhelmsson, immediately involved. Then it was France attacking again. Benzema fired wide and Diarra forces Isaksson to save.
It was already an exciting match but on 53 minutes it was blessed by the most fantastic goal. Wilhelmsson did well to chase and control the ball near the left corner flag. He turned, beat his man and played the ball inside. Sweden worked the ball right and found Larsson out on the other wing. His driven cross was slightly behind Ibrahimovic, lurking just inside the box, but the Swedish captain executed the perfect scissor-kick, smashing the ball past Lloris’ despairing save. Quite brilliant. 1-0.
The massed ranks of yellow-clad Swedes celebrated noisily. Their team responded with a period of pressure that had France penned back defending a string of corners. Only determined defending by Rami and Mexes and a couple of Lloris saves kept them at bay.
France recovered their composure and mounted more attacks of their own. Benzema and Nasri shot wide. Olssen and Mellberg headed crosses away. Sweden mounted counter attacks but France were still setting that offside trap and now it was catching Wilhelmsson as well as Toivonen.
Then Toivonen was fouled by Mexes, earning a yellow card that means he won’t face Spain. Moments later Anders also collected another card – the TV said “misses next match” but that looked somewhat academic.
With 15 minutes left, among a flurry of substitutions, Anders was replaced by Holmen. A mighty roar tumbled down from the stands as Sweden recognised the importance of the occasion. Svensson clapped them as he left the field. Within 2 minutes Holmen had also seen yellow.
With 10 minutes left France took off M’Vila and brought on Giroud. The Arsenal target ran into Sweden’s box, rose to meet Malouda’s corner and powered a header inches wide of Isaksson’s post. The game still swung from one end to the other. Both Olssens made significant clearances before Lloris was called on to field Larsson’s free kick. Then Holmen shoots wide from Kallstrom’s cross.
Deep into injury time Wilhelmsson turned up on the right wing and his dinked cross found Holman unmarked. The striker tried to volley it, caught it awkwardly, and his shot looped up over Lloris. Any relief the keeper may have felt seeing the ball come back off the bar was short lived. It fell perfectly for Seb Larsson who took great pleasure in smashing it home. 2-0.
France certainly didn’t play well but had taken part in a splendid game. They waited to hear that Ukraine had not pulled off an unlikely victory before quietly leaving the field to Sweden and their joyful fans.
MOM: Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
England 1 Ukraine 0
Donetsk
Teams :
England
Hart, Johnson, Terry, Lescott, Cole, Milner, Gerrard, Parker, Young, Rooney and Welbeck. Subs: Walcott (for Milner – 70), Carroll (for Welbeck – 82) and Chamberlain (for Rooney – 87).
Ukraine
Pyatov, Selin, Khacheridi, Rakitski, Tymoshchuk, Gusev, Yarmalenko, Garmash, Konoplienka, Milevskiy and Devic. Subs: Shevchenko (for Devic – 70), Butko (for Milevskiy – 77) and Nazarenko (for Garmash – 78).
Match Report :
Technically England were the home team so wore white. Roy had toyed with starting Theo but, of course, chose Milner on the right. The only other change was the much-vaunted return of Wayne Rooney – or England’s Pele as he shall now be known.
Simon the QPR fan was watching the game the game with us and took umbrage at this comparison. He ranted about how few International goals Rooney had bagged. “Well how many goals did Pele ever score for England?” I asked. That shut him up.
Ukraine, in smart blue kit, made lots of changes - effectively replacing the old guard with the young guns. Schevchenko was on the bench, just in case.
Ukraine set off at a gallop and, roared on by the Donetsk crowd, took the game to England. Their first chance fell to Konoplienka who, true to form, cut inside and shot over. They made other chances and won a series of free kicks as England’s midfielders fought to stop them. Yarmalenko on the right and Garmash through the middle both went close.
But Ukraine did not have everything their own way. England’s forays forward carried a threat and Pyatov in goal looked uncomfortable with crosses. One well directed Gerrard free kick found Rooney in space but he failed to get his head on it. Young then sent over a cross from which Rooney should have scored but sent his header wide. For all their effort, Ukraine were seeing the better chances created in their box.
The game reached half time goal-less and with no goals in Kiev either everything was still up for grabs. Ukraine came out reinvigorated but were soon behind.
Gerrard, who’d been manning the midfield barricades with Parker and Co, made a break on the right. He went past Yarmalenko and hit a firm cross towards goal. When your luck is out these things hit the thigh of the first defender and fly to safety. But this night, fortune smiled on the English – Gerrard’s cross missed the first man, bounced under the leg of Selin, off the toe of Khacheridi and continued on its way. Pyatov may still have saved the day but fumbled his attempt to grab the ball which bounced up to head height - for Rooney to score the simplest of goals. 1-0.
Back came Ukraine but England stood firm. News of France losing gave England another boost and they were able to keep counter-attacking.
Then on the hour Ukraine scored – or rather they didn’t. Platini’s long standing hatred of goal-line technology has delayed it being introduced. Instead we have 2 more blokes, dressed as referees who stand by the goals and do – well, nothing really.
Milevskiy received the ball - clearly offside - but was allowed to pass to Devic. His shot looped off Hart and was dropping in when Terry hoofed it clear. Ukraine claimed it had crossed the line and TV confirmed it had. The 5th (or 6th) official didn’t have a clue. Blokhin looked as though he was about to explode with anger as the 4th official fed him platitudes. So, still 1-0. Play on, now.
Discussions of Fat Frank’s “goal” against The Hun 2 summers ago ensued. It may balance England’s books but how is that fair on Ukraine? They suffer so the Germans can prosper: sounds like 1942 all over again.
Off we went and England now looked buoyant. They carved a super chance for Cole whose fine volley was well saved by Pyatov. Young then tested the keeper’s resolve with a couple of dangerous crosses.
Theo came on for Milner and the stadium erupted – the locals had seen Schevchenko waiting behind him to replace Devic. This gave Ukraine a lift but despite much grafting England kept them at bay. Even Konoplienka hit the target at this stage but Hart saved well and Lescott cleared as forwards closed in.
More substitutions followed but nobody, not even “Sheva” could get another goal. With England fans dancing and singing “We’re not going home”, Ref brought the game to a close. England had won Group D.
Ukraine slipped out of Euro 2012, joining Poland the other host nation who’d gone out 3 nights earlier. Neither side had realistic expectations of going much further but with the hopes of their nations spurring them on, both had given a good account of themselves on the pitch.
England had come to the Euros without the usual fanfares and none of the hype. Indeed, Harry’s mates in the press were certain Roy would have them coming home today. Not so.
Roy is a manager who makes silk purses from sow’s ears for a living. He maximises performance with meagre resources and gets all his staff, players and backroom boys, pulling for the cause.
Rooney’s post match interview was telling. There was no “I” or “me” – it was all “us” and “we”. There is a strong team ethic developing and England will take some beating.
We’re not going to outplay Europe’s top sides but we may knock more out. Resolute defending and hard work alone can’t win matches but coupled with pacey counter attackers and passers like Gerrard and Young, England carry a goal threat that others will fear.
This isn’t over yet!
MOM: Gerrard (England)
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 |
| France | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Ukraine | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| Sweden | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
