Previous Encounters:
Switzerland haven't played Ukraine before.
The Match:
No goals in the first-half and nothing really in it apart from two hits on the woodwork;
an Andriy Shevchenko header and an Alexander Frei free-kick.
Really this game has been about two teams too scared to lose and you
wonder why they bothered to turn up.
The biggest news is probably no yellow cards.
No commitment. No desire. Pathetic!
Half-time: (0:0).
As the two teams started the second-half, the one consolation is that
one of them would definitely go out.
Almost an hour before the first yellow card. That's not fair play, I'm
afraid that's scared to play.
Ricardo Cabanas should have been sent off, just after the hour, for a
double-footed challenge. What nationality is Sepp Blatter?
In the 67th minute, Shevchenko used his hand to bring the ball under
control. The referee didn't see it and Pascal Zuberbuhler didn't see the shot either; just
wide.
Full Time: (0:0).
Sadly, a very uninspiring ninety minutes. A hopeless presentation of
World Cup football with no ambition to win, from either side. No quality, no flair, no
imagination; Switzerland just too neutral. About as exciting as watching milk turn to
cheese.
The saddest thing for football is that Austria and Switzerland are
co-hosting the next European Championships, in 2008.
Unbelievably, as the first-half of extra time ended the Swiss trainer,
Köbi Kuhn actually looked pleased with the performance of his side. That's disgraceful.
Goalscorers:
You must be kidding.
Extremely poor, scoreless 120 minutes of football. How terribly,
terribly sad.
Penalties:
Pascal Zuberbuhler saved Ukraine's first penalty, from Shevchenko, but the Swiss players
let him down when they stepped up as Streller had his penalty saved, Barnetta hit the bar
and Shovkovskiy stopped Cabanas' penalty as well.
For Ukraine: Artem Milevskiy, Serhiy Rebrov and Oleg Gusev were the
three who scored to wipe Switzerland off the 2006 World Cup map.
Ukraine win the penalties (3:0).
Teams
Switzerland:
1 Pascal Zuberbuhler; 2 Johan Djourou, 3 Ludovic Magnin, 20 Patrick
Müller, 23 Philipp Degen; 6 Johann Vogel, 7 Ricardo Cabanas,
8 Raphael Wicky, 16 Tranquillo Barnetta, 22 Hakan Yakin; 9 Alexander
Frei.
Substitutions:
33 Mins (Switzerland) - 13 Stephane Grichting on for 2 Johan Djourou
64 Mins (Switzerland) - 11 Marco Streller on for 22 Hakan Yakin
75 Mins (Ukraine) - 21 Ruslan Rotan on for 19 Maxim Kalinichenko
93 Mins (Ukraine) - 11 Serhiy Rebrov on for 16 Andriy Vorobey
110 Mins (Ukraine) - 15 Artem Milevskiy on for 10 Andriy Voronin
116 Mins (Switzerland) - 18 Mauro Lustrinelli on for 9 Alexander Frei
1 Yellow
Card:
59 Mins - Tranquillo Barnetta (Switzerland)
