England 1 Ukraine 0 - Match analysis

“Dreaming is what football is about,” said Roy Hodgson in the build-up to his latest England victory.

“You play at international level to let people get carried away.”

Well, try as he might in the next four days, Hodgson will struggle to keep a lid on the excitement now after another tense, somewhat fortunate but significant victory.

Because, despite the host of sound reasons to think England cannot be crowned champions of Europe, Hodgson and his side find themselves just three wins away from shocking the continent after Wayne Rooney’s goal and sporting karma left them top of Group D.

Three top-notch displays, three lucky nights, three penalty shoot-out wins, or any combination of the above is what stands between Hodgson and glory.

He and his side must still defy lengthy odds to achieve real success at Euro 2012.

But Hodgson has run into some serious form when it comes to odds-defying in the last 18 months.

And after seeing his side’s opponents denied a clear goal by hapless officiating last night, the former Albion boss has grounds to believe football’s gods are smiling on him, too.

Now, with just eight sides left standing in Poland and Ukraine and some of the favourites in sporadic form, it will take some major willpower for fans’ rational heads to calm their beating hearts in the days before the quarter-final clash with Italy.

Some significant football logic says England remain well short of the ingredients required to challenge for tournament victory.

Yet logic and sport have rarely been comfortable bedfellows.

So, try as we might to keep emotions in check, it might well prove impossible not to get a little excited between now and Sunday – and hopefully beyond.

There are many ills in the English make-up that Hodgson will struggle to cure in the next four years, let alone the seven weeks at his disposal since he swapped hero status at The Hawthorns for a life under the national microscope. And several of his biggest headaches were on full display in Donetsk as, regardless of the positive result, another opposition team displayed superior technique and greater composure for large chunks of a major tournament game.

Only the inexplicable decision to rule out Marko Devic’s ‘goal’ when John Terry hooked it away from behind the line denied Ukraine the point that was the least they deserved.

But Hodgson – a man so cruelly demeaned on the wake of his appointment – has answered his doubters by constructing an admirable team on foundations of dogged discipline and fierce determination.

It was those qualities, combined with a huge slice of luck courtesy of the goal-that-should-have-been from the co-hosts, that carried England to victory in the Donbass Arena and enabled them to side-step Spain in the quarter-finals and set up a last-eight clash with a formidable but less daunting Italian side.

And, as long as Hodgson has a fully fit Steven Gerrard at his disposal, he possesses a player capable of puncturing holes in the structure and psyche of even the finest sides in Europe.

For the first time in his impressive career, the Liverpool man has taken something akin to his inspirational club form to a major international tournament.

Handed the captaincy and the unqualified trust of his former Anfield boss, Gerrard looks to have grown in stature both on the field and off it within the England setup.

And it was the 32-year-old powerhouse who outshone fellow Scouser Rooney last night and refused to allow Hodgson’s side to be knocked off course despite an early assault from Ukraine and several defensive alarms for England.

It was Rooney who capped his first appearance of the finals with the all-important winner, but Gerrard was the fitting provider with a piercing run and cross that epitomised a display of fabulous commitment, endless drive and intelligent leadership.

England conjured occasional moments of early promise, not least when a neat move on the left sent Ashley Cole clear but his cross was straight at Andriy Pyatov in the Ukraine goal.

Yet the home side made most of the running and were only denied a probable goal when Devic saw his shot from the edge of the area blocked by Scott Parker.

The nerves in the England team and the do-or-die desperation of their opponents had set the tone for the first 20 minutes.

England might have struck against the run of play midway through the opening half, however, as Gerrard’s bending delivery flashed just away from the onrushing Rooney. The returning striker took a while to find his feet, yet he should really have headed his side ahead on 28 minutes.

A fabulous raking ball from Terry and terrific Ashley Young cross found Rooney unmarked at the far post, only for the Manchester United man to glance a header wide.

Ukraine had spent much of the first half demonstrating superior touch to their more famous opponents, so it was undoubtedly Hodgson’s men who were happier to reach half-time with the scoresheet blank.

Their first-half stubbornness paid handsome dividends within three minutes of the restart, however, as a moment of inspiration from Gerrard conjured the opening goal.

The skipper tricked his way into space on the right and, when a couple of minor deflections forced keeper Pyatov to flap at a drilled, low cross an unmarked Rooney could not fail to nod home from a yard out. The goal gave England a shot of belief and dented the Ukranian spirit, yet the hosts almost grabbed a cheap equaliser when Artem Milevskiy drifted behind Parker and met a left-wing cross, only to head off target from four yards out.

And moments later England’s biggest slice of fortune arrived as a Devic shot looped into the air off Hart and crossed the line, only for the officials to rule that Terry had affected a legitimate clearance. England were doubtless left smiling at memories of Frank Lampard’s phantom World Cup goal two years ago. Perhaps that unwritten rule about luck and football is correct after all?

England’s goal was living a charmed life and Hart just did enough to protect it again when he thrust out a hand to keep out a long-range effort from Konoplyanka with the impressive Joleon Lescott reacting well to complete the clearance.

The introduction of half-fit talisman Andriy Shevchenko represented a final throw of the Ukraine dice but, by then, England had drawn much of their opponents’ sting and victory left Hodgson reflecting on an unbeaten record as national boss that stretches to five games.

Reason suggests his run will end sometime very soon. But as the man himself acknowledged, football is all about dreaming.

And whether he likes it or not, England fans are ready to get carried away.