Round of 16
Ukraine 0, Switzerland 0
Ukraine beat goal-shy Switzerland 3-0 on penalties on Monday to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup and send the Swiss home with just a pair of unenviable records.
PHOTO: AP
For the fourth game in a row, the Swiss did not concede a goal but they failed to find the net in 120 minutes and missed all three penalties in the shootout as Ukraine advanced to the last eight on their first World Cup appearance.
Ukraine now take on Italy in Hamburg on Friday for a place in the last four, while Switzerland go home even though they were unbeaten in normal time in their four games.
They are the first team to be eliminated from the World Cup without conceding a goal, while it was the first time in 17 World Cup shootouts that a team has failed to score even a single kick.
PHOTO: EPA
Even Andriy Shevchenko's miss with the first kick of the shootout did not help the Swiss, but they deserved little else after one of the least entertaining matches of the competition to date.
"We have great heart," Shevchenko said. "We suffered a lot and our players made great sacrifices."
"It is great to win and I am very happy for all the people of Ukraine," he said.
Swiss coach Koebi Kuhn was at a loss to explain his team's failure to find the net.
"All my players this morning managed to score from the spot all the time," he said. "It is sad, we are going home, we could have won."
Switzerland were not the only guilty party for Ukraine were equally toothless in attack, with very few clearcut chances for either team.
Shevchenko did hit the bar on 20 minutes with a diving header and Alexander Frei, who scored two goals in the group stages, also struck the crossbar with a well-struck free-kick.
But for long periods, the two goalkeepers must have wondered what their gloves were for as they watched both teams snuff each other out.
Unlucky
Oleg Blokhin's side were unlucky not to win a penalty just before the hour mark when Shevchenko's free-kick clearly struck the forearm of a Swiss defender.
Shevchenko, who will play for Chelsea next season, smashed a left-foot strike just wide on 66 minutes and Andriy Gusin headed narrowly wide from a corner on 73 minutes.
Ukraine were the more attacking side in the last 20 minutes of the match but they could not breach the Swiss defense and the game drifted into extra time.
Both sides lacked the courage to chase the game in extra time and it looked like only a mistake would yield a goal.
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi easily gathered a shot from Swiss captain Johann Vogel but apart from a couple of dangerous crosses, neither goalkeeper having a difficult shot in extra time.
Ukraine went first in the penalty shootout but Shevchenko, who missed from the spot in the Champions League final against Liverpool last year, saw his tame effort saved by Pascal Zuberbuehler.
But the Swiss handed the advantage back immediately when Streller's shot was saved by Shovkovskyi. Artem Milevskiy and Sergiy Rebrov then scored for Ukraine while Tranquillo Barnetta hit the bar and Ricardo Cabanas' shot was saved.
And Gusev kept his nerve to hit the crucial penalty to clinch the win.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Aaron Civale got a little wild in the right-hander’s first start for the Chicago White Sox two days after he was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers. Civale on Sunday walked four of the first seven hitters he faced in a 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers. The 30-year-old finished with four walks, one off his career high, while allowing six hits and two runs in five innings. He threw 65 strikes and 39 balls. Chicago trailed 2-1 when he was replaced by Dan Altavilla to start the sixth. “Not the cleanest,” Civale said. “It’s been a whirlwind of a week. First couple
RSS