England 1 Ukraine 0

Well, ultimately not as nerve-racking as some might have expected, thanks to the breathing space which Wayne Rooney's slightly fortuitous goal afforded England.  It may have been stodgy and frustrating at times, but England are through to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, and a date with a decidedly vincible Italy team.

Prior to the match, I made a note to the effect that Cole, Terry and Gerrard would have to perform well in order for England to secure a result tonight.  By and large, this trio produced the goods, with Gerrard being behind most of England's most fruitful moves, and the Chelsea pair capably marshalling defensive efforts

Unsurprisingly, Ukraine began the match energetically and purposefully, and England struggled to establish a foothold. Gradually, inroads were made, with the flanks being employed, and Steven Gerrard seeking to create space with some imaginative passing. Ukraine did not convert their possession into goals, and much of their finishing and shooting was inaccurate. When under pressure, England compounded matters by too often surrendering possession cheaply;an old failing.

England's goal may have come courtesy of a defensive and goalkeeping mix-up, but significantly it was Gerrard who once again created the danger, by producing something over and above the mundane. Indeed, I thought that one of the plus points of England's performance was the quality of their delivery, and not just from the captain.  The Roy Hodgson influence, possibly?

With regard to the John Terry "clearance" off the line, I'm not going to join in the debate about "technology".  The replay of the incident makes the case quite cogently.....

At around this time, the action became almost end-to-end for a spell, as Ukraine pressed more vigorously, and there was additional space for England.  In this context, the Walcott-for-Milner substitution made considerable sense.  In the event, the Arsenal man did not have the opportunity to make much impact, but the intent was correct.

And so on to the quarter-final on Sunday.  In terms of team selection and tactics, I think that we can expect more of the same.  England do not have the fluency in possession and build-up of some of the other teams in the tournament.  Their style is dictated by the fact that the personnel needed to accomplish this, particularly in midfield areas, are just not there.  One cannot turn water into wine.  The question remains whether this approach will work against the superior teams, and also whether England will be exposed defensively by the movement and speed of thought of those outfits.

I thought that Italy played some reasonable football, in patches, against the Republic of Ireland, and they have possibly been under-estimated by many observers.  It will be a stern examination for England, but still one which they are capable of overcoming....