MX23RW : Wednesday, April 2 02:43:00| >> :600:145374:145374:

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
1Liverpool29217169274270
2Arsenal301710355253061
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest30176750351557
4Chelsea29147853371649
5Manchester CityMan City29146955401548
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2814594738947
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton29121164842647
8Fulham3012994440445
9Aston Villa2912984145-445
10Bournemouth29128948361244
11Brentford29125125045541
12Crystal Palace2810993633339
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd30107133741-437
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs291041555431234
15Everton2971393236-434
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham3097143350-1734
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves3085174158-1729
18Ipswich TownIpswich2938182862-3417
19Leicester CityLeicester2945202565-4017
20Southampton2923242170-499


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!