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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 15:58 |
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Kyrgyzstan needed a win and for Portugal to lose against Slovakia to stand a chance of going through so the odds were stacked against them as they kicked off against favourites Ukraine. Ukraine had already qualified as group winners, so may have relaxed a little, and despite a game played in a very calm manner, Ukraine didn’t step down a gear at all. Kyrgyzstan, already traveling with a light squad, were down to 5 outfield players for this game though they dug in and defended well against Ukraine for large parts of the game. They also had an attacking threat, but Ukraine, so strong throughout their squad relaxed and picked off Kyrgyzstan with great professionalism. Their movement and understanding of the game is second to none and with individuals with the ability to play for the A team, Kyrgyzstan really didn’t have a hope. The final score was 5:0 to Ukraine, who will meet the winner of Israel and Czech Republic in the quarter final.
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