ROME, July 2: Having overcome historic rival Germany in the last 16, facing Ukraine might seem like an easier proposition for England.
Turns out, though, that Saturday’s quarterfinal match at the Stadio Olimpico might be England’s toughest test of the European Championship.
That’s because it’s the only match of Euro 2020 that England will have to play away from the friendly confines of Wembley Stadium.
Making matters more complicated is that the Italian government has explicitly warned Britain-based England fans to stay away from the game unless they can prove they have observed five days of quarantine since arriving.
For a team like England that is known for its traveling supporters, that’s a major blow.
The winner between Ukraine and England will play either Denmark or the Czech Republic in the semifinals on Wednesday at Wembley, with the final also scheduled for England’s home stadium.
For Ukraine’s coaching staff, meanwhile, playing in Italy is a homecoming.
Head coach Andriy Shevchenko was one of Serie A’s most prolific scorers during his playing career with AC Milan, while assistant coach Mauro Tassotti is from Rome and began his playing career at the Stadio Olimpico with Lazio before going onto a long and successful career at Milan as both a player and assistant coach.
Tassotti acknowledged that beating England is a “titanic challenge.”
Expect an old-fashioned Italian “catenaccio” (lockdown defence) and counterattack approach from Ukraine to deal with talented England strikers Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, who accounted for the goals in the 2-0 win over Germany.
Tassotti said the tactics will be to “stifle” England, “close spaces,” and “prevent them from running.”
If Ukraine can get into the opponent’s half, the attack should flow through Andriy Yarmolenko, who plays in England for West Ham.
Likewise, Oleksandr Zinchenko is teammates with Sterling at Manchester City.
Having barely scraped through the group phase, it will be Ukraine’s first European Championship quarterfinal match.
England is looking to match its performance from the 2018 World Cup, when it reached the semifinals. The last time England made it to the last four of the European Championship was in 1996.
But the bigger goal for England at this point is to duplicate the success of the 1966 team that won the World Cup and lifted the trophy on home soil. (AP)
