Andriy Shevchenko engaged in a little fighting talk after seeing Ukraine slip through to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 with almost the last kick of extra time against Sweden.
Having spent three years at Chelsea, the 44-year-old already had a vested interest in watching England throughout the group stages. Their last match, that electrifying triumph over Germany, he missed, busy preparing for his own nation’s unlikely upset.
Once that was out of the way, Shevchenko warned England “shouldn’t scare” Ukraine, though deep down he will realise they probably need a little more of the luck which has guided them to the last eight.
Between now and Saturday’s tie, he will no doubt be monitoring the news coming out of Gareth Southgate’s camp closely and in particular, whether it will be a fully-fit Three Lions travelling to Rome.
There were a trio of minor scares against Germany, with Kieran Trippier’s injury looking the most serious.
Kieran Trippier
Southgate has had plenty of decisions vindicated and among them, his penchant for squeezing a load of right-backs into a 26-man squad is now looking like a wise move. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s hamstring injury kept him out of the Euros and it appeared Trippier’s summer could be heading in a similar direction when he pulled up and received treatment on the pitch. Nonetheless, he managed to complete the 90 minutes.
Harry Kane
Harry Kane could have been forgiven for seeking the refuge of the bench after what was a difficult outing overall. It’s just as well the skipper stayed on as he finally broke his Euro duck in the 86th minute, despite admitting he had taken a “massive” knock.
“Massive, I took a massive blow to the knee but I just knew I had to give it a couple of minutes,” Kane said in his BBC interview. “I’ve always said as a striker you’ve just got to be ready for the next chance and Jack’s put in a great cross and I put it in.” The Spurs man will be fit to start against Ukraine.
Bukayo Saka
After an impressive first half, the winger was brought off in the 69th minute and replaced with Jack Grealish. That game-changing substitution might never have transpired had Bukayo Saka not broken into a sprint as Kane released him down the flank and raced into a challenge with Matthias Ginter. The Arsenal teenager came off worse and it looked bad enough for Antonio Rudiger to put the ball out of play.
Possible suspensions
England also have a quartet of players who are one yellow card from a suspension, including a couple of tournament ever-presents. Both Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips were cautioned during the win over Germany, as was Harry Maguire who has regained his place since returning from injury for the final group game against the Czech Republic. Phil Foden, who has sat out the last two games is the fourth player.
If any of the aforementioned players are booked against Ukraine, they would miss the semi-final should England qualify.
More from i on Euro 2020
- England aren’t ‘rubbish’ and Southgate isn’t a ‘fraud’ – we just need a bit of patience
- What the Premier League could learn from Euro 2020’s controversy-free referees
- The football nomad who became a hero for his role in saving Eriksen’s life
- How Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola stunt could change the face of football sponsorship
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3jpKRIN
Post a Comment