A Sleeping Pill of a Game Sees Ukraine Stumble Forward

The Ukraine were seen as favorites to win this game, and so they did, but not without some luck.

Anis Ayari hit a free-kick in the 64th minute for Tunisia that was deflected just over the crossbar by a Ukrainian hand in the wall. That could have been a penalty for the Tunisians at a crucial moment in a still goalless match.

Total lack of creativity

The game played in front of a predominantly neutral crowd but with sections of Ukrainian blue and yellow joined by flecks of Tunisian red, never took off. In the second minute Andriy Voronin stole the ball to build up a two-against-one but as he passed the ball sloppily, and it never reached its address

The rest of the game continued in similar fashion. Few chances were created. In fact the word "create" cannot really be used to describe the match that was mainly a display of long balls, mistakes and a lot of ping pong at midfield.

Hatem Trabelsi, the Tunisian skipper, tried in the first twenty minutes to make a difference. With good pace, a rarity in this game, he went through a couple of times on the right wing to deliver his crosses, but they never posed any serious threat to Shovkovsky in the Ukraine goal.

Between the 21st and the 27th minute the Ukrainians raised the tempo in a six-minute stint that featured actual combinations that put pressure on the Tunisian defense. What ended this offensive push so quickly remains a mystery.

Why they didn't come back after the break with the urge to win is an even bigger one, as they were a man up after Tunisia's only striker, Ziad Jaziri, was given the red card on stoppage time in first half.

Penalty and no penalty needed to decide the match

The second half provided more of the same, although it's likely the Ukrainians were told to stand higher up in the field, something that swung the game slightly in favor of the World Cup newcomers. Their side had more possession but did little to open up the scoring.

Instead it was Tunisia who got a good chance in the 64th minute with a free-kick only a couple of meters outside the Ukrainian penalty box. Ayari struck it well, but the replay showed it was deflected by Voronin's hand, and the Ukrainians must be relieved it didn't result in a penalty kick for Tunisia.

Five minutes later Shevchenko trickled passed his defenders to come clean with Boumnijel in the Tunisian goal. The keeper made himself big and followed Shevchenko's move well, something that Karim Hagui should have considered before bringing down the Ukrainian striker who rather easily got his penalty. The AC Milan star went up to the spot and placed the ball behind Boumnijel without much effort.

Even down a goal, the expected Tunisian onslaught for an equalizer never materialized. Not even the entrance of Brazilian born star striker Dos Santos with 11 minutes left could ratchet up the pace.

Spain beat Saudi-Arabia to win group H

In the other group H game, a Spanish team with much of their first string resting on the bench beat Saudi-Arabia in Kaiserslautern to defend their top slot in the group.

Spain and Ukraine's next opponents will be decided in Friday's final set of group round matches. They could face Switzerland, South Korea or France.