Switzerland made to pay the penalty for defensive mindset

THE IRISH TIMES/Continental Tyres Cub Reporter competition Sixteen-year-old Cormac O'Meara from Castleknock in Dublin travelled…

THE IRISH TIMES/Continental Tyres Cub Reporter competitionSixteen-year-old Cormac O'Meara from Castleknock in Dublin travelled to Cologne for the Switzerland v Ukraine game as the winner of our recent World Cup Cub Reporter competition. Here is his match report

Ukraine advanced to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup courtesy of Oleg Gusev's spot-kick in Cologne. The penalties brought closure to 120 minutes of tentative football which saw both sides reluctant to take risks for fear of the implications.

The play preceding the shoot-out was devoid of any imagination from the two light-weight nations and the stalemate accurately reflected the lack of goalmouth chances.

By the time the penalty shoot-out was decided, the Eastern European outfit had displayed greater composure and coolly brushed aside Switzerland 3-0, even allowing for their talismanic striker, Andrei Shevchenko, failing to convert.

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However, any echoes of Istanbul's Champions League final soon vanished as all of Switzerland's attempts were fruitless. Marco Streller and Tranquillo Barnetta both had their efforts saved while Ricardo Cabanas watched as his cannoned off the crossbar. Later, hindsight questioned the judgement of calling Alexander Frei ashore with two minutes of extra time left on the clock. Granted, Mauro Lustrinelli was the preferred option for the dramatic ending but, with the game rapidly nearing its conclusion, surely common sense would prevail by substituting a member of the rearguard?

From the start, Switzerland appeared eager to protect their clean sheet since day one of the competition and although they were vigilant and successful in that regard, that will offer little solace to them as they reflect on what might have been.

It's not often that a team exits a major championship with no goals against but the rare feat was accompanied by a lack of fire-power up front. Even the allure of a quarter-final wasn't sufficient to encourage creativity.

Possession was edged by Ukraine yet they were unable to eke out many scoring opportunities as their only goals from play in the preceding group stage came against arguably the worst team in the tournament, Saudi Arabia. Passing was kept simple and any foray into opposition territory went through Shevchenko who was diligent and persistent, but without any of his team-mates sharing his urgency, his battling was in vain. Switzerland's focus on and performance in defence was another telling factor.

In the absence of Philippe Senderos, the Swiss were expected to struggle and fellow clubman Johan Djouru failed to fit the bill - Stephane Grichting replacing him early on. This was testament to their defensive depth even if attacking options were limited. Shots on goal were rarely witnessed by the capacity crowd and even though it appeared that any goal would come from Ukraine if one should arise, Switzerland edged them out in genuine opportunities.

First, Frei's long-range strike was parried by Olexander Shovkovski and the same player struck the bar from a free-kick. In between, however, they rode their luck as goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuehler was in no man's land when Sheva's diving header bounced up against the crossbar. The best chance of the second half fell to the undetected Andriy Gusin, whose header whizzed by the far post.

I was very impressed on my trip to Germany. It was my first time in the country and the football-mad nation evidently made a huge effort in hosting it. The buzz in the city of Cologne was in stark contrast to Dublin, where there is still an aura of disappointment, and the match atmosphere was unparalleled - I have never been so in awe of a 0-0 draw.

It was an unforgettable experience and for that a huge thanks must go to The Irish Times and sponsor Continental Tyres.