Goal-shy Swiss pay the penalty
By MSN’s Lee Harvey
Last updated: June 27 2006
Ukraine 0 – 0 Switzerland (AET)
Ukraine win 3-0 on penalties
The least anticipated game of the second round lived down to expectations with a shortage of sustained attacking play and goalmouth action. With a quarter final place at stake, both teams seemed scared to lose.
Switzerland were yet to concede a goal in the tournament but, with Andriy Shevchenko leading the Ukrainian attack, the Swiss defenders knew that one mistake could be fatal. His only chance of a tense first half came from a free kick. Voronin, replete with a Robbie Savage tribute haircut, clipped in a cross that Shevchenko headed into the ground and up onto the crossbar. The Swiss responded immediately. Alexander Frei curled a free kick onto the frame of the Ukraine goal.
Having tested each other briefly, both teams then went back into their shells, unwilling to commit men forward. The second half started in equally insipid fashion with extra time and penalties looking inevitable.
In stark contrast to previous games, the referee was amazingly lenient. The first booking didn’t come until the 58th minute (a tournament record?) and, after a Swiss player escaped censure for a knee-high lunge, it became clear that even committing GBH wasn’t enough to earn a yellow card. Ukraine briefly flickered into life. Shevchenko flashed a shot wide and Gusin glanced a header just wide from a corner.
With the whistles and jeers of the crowd filling the stadium, the game drifted into extra time. Television pictures showed Sepp Blatter and Franz Beckenbaur in the stands. They both looked like they’d rather be elsewhere. After 30 more minute of very little incident, the referee mercifully blew for time.
The penalty shootout followed the pattern of the game in that no-one could put the ball in the net. Shevchenko's weak shot was saved. Luckily for him, the Swiss spared his blushes and missed three in a row. Ukraine's Milevsky, Rebrov and Gusev all coverted to send Ukraine into the quarter finals.
Useful links
Updated second round results 
