Euro 2012: Lucky England through, Ukraine exit

Wayne Rooney scored the only goal that counted, giving England a 1-0 win over Ukraine and a spot in the European Championship quarterfinals.

Wayne Rooney scored the only goal that counted, giving England a 1-0 win over Ukraine and a spot in the European Championship quarterfinals.

Euro 2012 Photos

Euro 2012 Photos

June 20, 2012 03:06

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Wayne Rooney scored the only goal that counted, giving England a 1-0 win over Ukraine and a spot in the European Championship quarterfinals. (All AFP and AP Images)
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A 48th-minute header from returning talisman Wayne Rooney was enough to see England finish top of Group D and send them into a quarter-final in Kiev on Sunday against Italy.
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It was Rooney's first goal at a major tournament since scoring four at Euro 2004 as an 18-year-old rising star. He failed to find the net at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, while England failed to even qualify for Euro 2008.
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However Ukraine were desperately unlucky not to have earned at least a draw after Marko Devic had a clear goal wrongly disallowed on 62 minutes.
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Devic had powered into the box and his looping shot had flown over keeper Joe Hart towards goal.
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John Terry launched himself into an acrobatic clearance to hook the ball away and despite the ball crossing the line, no goal was given.
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Captain Steven Gerrard, who whipped the cross into the penalty area that resulted in England's goal, was named the man of the match.
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England rode their luck in a one-sided first-half which Ukraine dominated, carving out a string of promising openings only to be denied by either desperate defending or the goalkeeping of Joe Hart.
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Ukraine tried hard but while some shots were saved by Hart, others just creeped over the goal.
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The match saw the hosts put up a tough fight and give England a run for their money.
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Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, left, and Metalist Kharkiv owner Oleksandr Yaroslavsky watched the match. Wonder who Abramovich was supporting!
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