High Flying England Face Ukraine Test

EURO 2020… EURO 2020 . . . EURO 2020…EURO 2020

On the cusp of a second successive semi-final appearance at a major tournament, England prepare for battle away from their Wembley headquarters as they meet Ukraine in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 in Rome today. The Three Lions sunk their old nemesis, Germany 2-0 to book their place in the last eight of the tournament, while surprise package Ukraine enjoyed a pulsating extra-time win over Sweden last time out.

Ukraine had Sweden to thank as they scraped into the last 16 of Euro 2020 by the skin of their teeth, with the Scandinavian side sinking Poland to ensure that Ukraine would qualify from their group as one of the four best third-placed outfits.

However, Andriy Shevchenko’s side were in no position to do Sweden any favours of their own, as Oleksandr Zinchenko’s powerful drive opened the scoring before Emil Forsberg’s deflected effort would force another last-16 tie to go to extra-time.

The game looked destined to go the distance and be decided from 12 yards, but in the 121st minute of the encounter, substitute Artem Dovbyk headed home as jubilant scenes followed for Ukraine, who are now set for their maiden quarter-final appearance at the European Championships.
Picking up just three points from a possible nine in the group stage certainly did not spell success, but Shevchenko surely cannot care less about the manner in which his side have progressed as they seek a semi-final appearance at a major tournament for the first time.

The only previous quarter-final outing for Ukraine at the World Cup or Euros saw them bow out to eventual winners, Italy in the 2006 tournament, and with their 15-year wait for another last-eight appearance finally over, Shevchenko will endeavour to take inspiration from his celebrated playing days and navigate his side to an odds-defying win once more.

England captain Harry Kane very nearly let emotion take over during his post-match interview on Tuesday, and not a single soul could have blamed him. After breaking his Euro 2020 duck and trying to conduct media duties with a 40,000-strong Wembley crowd belting out ‘Sweet Caroline’, Kane’s face truly said it all.

In what would ultimately turn out to be his final match at the Germany helm, Joachim Low witnessed his Mannschaft outfit enjoy the better of the opening periods, but England’s staunch defence demonstrated exactly why they have gone 540 minutes without conceding a goal as the scores were tied at the interval.
With 75 minutes on the clock, England’s man of the moment Raheem Sterling continued his rich goalscoring form with the opening goal, and after Thomas Muller inexplicably missed a gilt-edged chance to equalise, Kane put the game to bed to make Low’s Germany farewell a miserable one.

Having navigated what may prove to be their most difficult test en route to the final, England supporters are understandably licking their lips at the prospect of another Wembley outing for the July 11 final, as a very winnable fixture with the Czech Republic or Denmark – both of whom still command great respect – awaits in the final four should England produce the goods in Rome.

By keeping a clean sheet against Die Mannschaft in the last 16, England followed in the footsteps of the Germans in 2016 by not conceding in any of their first four Euros matches, but a nail-biting weekend could be in store, as all three of England’s quarter-final appearances at the tournament have been decided by a penalty shootout.

Ukraine and England have not locked horns since playing out a goalless draw in a 2013 friendly, and the only time these sides previously met in the Euros came one year before that, during which a Wayne Rooney winner propelled the Three Lions to a 1-0 group-stage success.

Ukraine striker Artem Besedin was victim of a horror challenge by Sweden’s Marcus Danielson in their quarter-final, and while he has not ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, there are fears that he could remain sidelined until 2022.

Oleksandr Zubkov is reported to have recovered from a calf strain and could put his name in the hat for selection, while Denys Popov has been forced to withdraw through injury.
Dovbyk’s heroics may not be enough to earn him a start over Andriy Yarmolenko and Arsenal-linked Roman Yaremchuk, although the West Ham United man was cautioned in the last-16 win.

England duo Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell have completed their self-isolation periods after a coronavirus scare, but the latter is highly unlikely to challenge an in-form Luke Shaw for a spot on the left.
Southgate’s shift to a back three worked wonders against Germany and may therefore be deployed here once again, which would hinder Jack Grealish’s chances of a deserved start, but Mount is a candidate to replace Bukayo Saka alongside Sterling and Kane.

Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips are both walking a tightrope after picking up bookings against Germany, so Jordan Henderson may be considered for a place in the XI, but changes will understandably be kept to a minimum if Southgate can help it.
Earlier today, Czech Republic and Denmark will lock horns in Baku with a spot in the semi-finals of this summer’s competition on offer for both sides.

Denmark progressed to the quarter-finals courtesy of an impressive 4-0 victory over Wales, while the Czech Republic recorded a 2-0 against the Netherlands to advance to the final eight of Euro 2020.
Jaroslav Silhavy’s side lost 1-0 to England in their final group match on June 22, though, which actually saw them drop down to third behind Croatia, with the Netherlands their opponents in the round of 16.

Holland would have been in a confident mood heading into the clash in Budapest, but an excellent performance from the Czech Republic saw them progress, with Tomas Holes scoring in the 68th minute before Patrik Schick came up with his fourth goal at this summer’s tournament to all but secure the victory.
The Czechs had previously finished as runners-up in 1996 and also semi-finalists in 2004, but were eliminated in the group stage of Euro 2016.

Czech Republic, who would take on England or Ukraine in the semi-finals next week if they were to emerge victorious today, have only lost two of their previous 25 matches with Denmark, although five of the last six fixtures between the two national teams have finished all square.
Denmark, meanwhile, booked their spot in the last-16 stage of Euro 2020 by finishing second behind Belgium in Group B despite losing two of their three matches in the section.

The Danes lost their opener 1-0 to Finland on June 12, but it was an incredibly difficult match for Kasper Hjulmand’s side, having seen Christian Eriksen collapse on the field.
Denmark then lost their second group fixture to Belgium on June 17, which left them in a very difficult spot, but a 4-1 success over Russia four days later was enough to finish second in the section on goal difference, with Finland and Russia both exiting the competition despite also claiming three points from three matches.

Hjulmand’s team were in sensational form in the round of 16, though, recording a 4-0 win over Wales in Amsterdam, with Kasper Dolberg scoring twice in what was a superb performance from a team that will certainly believe they are capable of making the final.
The Red and Whites won the European Championship in 1992, but they have not been at this stage of the competition since 2004, having been eliminated in the group stages in 2012 and actually failing to qualify for the finals in both 2008 and 2016.

Top Scorers

Players Club Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal 5
Patrik Schick Czech Rep 4
Karim Benzema France 4
Emil Forsberg Sweden 4
Raheem Sterling England 3
Haris Seferovic Switzerland 3
Gini Wijnaldum Netherlands 3
Romelu Lukaku Belgium 3
Robert Lewandowski Poland 3