England Survives Ukraine Through Lampard's Late-Game Penalty

If not for Frank Lampard, who scored a penalty three minutes before the end of the match, England would have lost from playign against tough oponnent Ukraine.

Ukraine gained a well-deserved advantage during the first half when Yevgeni Konoplianka struck their only goal in the match. England visibly struggled from dealing with a strong Ukrainian side, with the ball possession rate being equal to both sides.

Yevgeni Kacheridi hand-balled Danny Welbeck, who came in as a substitute. The resulting yellow card for the Ukrainian paved way for Lampard's successful penalty, ending the match 1-1. Captain Steven Gerrard received a red card on the 88th minute, sending him off from his side's October San Marino match.

Manager Roy Hodgson looked relaxed with the Lampard goal, knowing that his side is a less-potent one than the one who faced Moldova's 5-0 thrashing. The side fell short of viable options after Theo Walcott and Daniel Sturridge fell ill with a virus that gave them stomach cramps. Players staying in the injury sidelines are Andy Carroll, Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole.

While the England squad is lacking its key players, Ukraine proved to be a difficult group opponent. The first half saw the Ukrainians in impressive command of ball possession. Tom Cleverley's shots missed after gaining goal opportunities that could have given England earlier leads.

The toughness of Ukraine became more apparent when Roman Zozulya slammed into Gerrard, leaving the England captain in pain. Oleg Gusev nearly slotted a goal beyond Joe Hart but narrowly missed the woodwork.

Jermain Defoe successfully shot from 20 yards, initially giving what would have been England's first goal in the match. Referee Cuneyt Cakir came in and made the effort invalid, ruling that the midfielder committed an illegal hand-off right before the shot.

As Gerrard thwarted an Ukraine attempt from Ruslan Rotan, Tom Cleverley's notorious misses came in. First, his shot went directly to keeper Andriy Pyatov after taking off from a Defoe pass. Then, he wasted a clear opportunity by shooting wide from an ideal position, with the ball hitting the outpost.

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Photo credits:

England vs. Ukraine [Photograph]. (2012). Retrieved 12 September 2012, from < http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12016/8072953/Lampard-takes-the-draw  >

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