Ukraine beat Tunisia 1-0

An Andriy Shevchenko penalty gave Ukraine a 1-0 victory over 10-man Tunisia in World Cup Group H on Friday assuring them a place in the last 16. Shevchenko converted the spot kick in the 70th minute after referee Carlos Amarilla of Paraguay ruled the striker had been brought down by Tunisian defender Karim Hagui.

Needing a win to qualify, Tunisia suffered a major blow in first half injury time when striker Ziad Jaziri was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Anatoly Tymoshchyuk. But Ukraine, needing only a draw to qualify struggled to make the most of their advantage in a scrappy game.

Their best opportunity of the first half came in the 22nd minute when midfielder Tymoshchyuk burst into the penalty area but Tunisian goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel beat away his left-footed shot. Tunisia's best efforts came from set pieces but they were not enough to give them the lead. Hamed Namouchi struck a curling free kick in the 19th minute but Ukraine goalkeeper Oleksander Shovkovsky caught the ball cleanly.

Because of the way they play, Soccer Pundit is not convinced of Ukraine's chances in the second round where the opposition is going to be very much stronger. The front-line seemed disconnected from the midfield and the Tunisian defence was not really tested as a lot of Ukrainian passes did not find their target-man.

The service needs to improve and Shevchenko (solid credentials as a world class striker) has to really grab the one or two clear chances which comes along his way for them to advance. As for the Tunisians, they are out and must start preparations for the next campaign in 4 years time...