MX23RW : Tuesday, April 8 04:29:42| >> :600:670176:670176:

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
1Liverpool31227272304273
2Arsenal311711356263062
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest31176851371457
4Chelsea31158854371753
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle30165952391353
6Manchester CityMan City31157957401752
7Aston Villa3114984646051
8Fulham3113994742548
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton31121184947247
10Bournemouth311291051401145
11Crystal Palace30111093935443
12Brentford31126135147442
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd31108133741-438
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs311141658451337
15Everton31714103338-535
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham3198143552-1735
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves3195174359-1632
18Ipswich TownIpswich3148193165-3420
19Leicester CityLeicester3145222570-4517
20Southampton3124252374-5110


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!