MX23RW : Thursday, April 3 04:22:07| >> :600:237721:237721:

Oleg Blokhin: England Euro 2012 loss "still hurts us"

Blokhin: England Euro loss
© PA Photos
Ukraine manager Oleg Blokhin says that his team are still hurting from their controversial defeat to England at Euro 2012.

Ukraine manager Oleg Blokhin has called upon his younger players to step up and fill the gap left by retired striker Andriy Shevchenko, starting against England at Wembley on Tuesday night.

The Zhovto-Blakytni have not played a competitive fixture since they were beaten 1-0 by the Three Lions in their final group game at Euro 2012.

Marko Devic scored a legitimate goal during that match, when his shot was cleared by John Terry from behind the goal line, and Blokhin admits that the referee's decision not to award it still "hurts" his team.

"The referee made a big mistake when our goal was ruled out and it still hurts us," said Blokhin. "If we could have beaten England I'm sure we would have become stronger and stronger with every game.

"But that's history and we have to look forward. And we must do that without the help of Shevchenko. He was a born leader and we will need some time to re-adjust to playing without him.

"I have said to my young players that against England one of them must be a leader of the team. They are all adults and it is time for them to take on the leader's virtues."

England and Ukraine are both in Group H for World Cup qualifying, alongside Moldova, Montenegro, Poland and San Marino.

ID:44597: cacheID:44597:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2576:
Written by
Robert Summerscales
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Marko Devic, Andriy Shevchenko
Read Next:
Shevchenko: "Euro 2012 was definitely a success"
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool30227170274373
2Arsenal301710355253061
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest30176750351557
4Manchester CityMan City30156957401751
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle29155949391050
6Chelsea29147853371649
7Aston Villa3013984445-148
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton30121174845347
9Fulham3012994440445
10Bournemouth301281049381144
11Brentford30125135147441
12Crystal Palace29101093734340
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd30107133741-437
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs291041555431234
15Everton30713103237-534
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham3097143350-1734
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves3085174158-1729
18Ipswich TownIpswich3048183063-3320
19Leicester CityLeicester3045212567-4217
20Southampton3024242271-4910


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!