It’s hard to surrender your perfect team’s record during a major sporting event, especially when it’s one that will determine whether or not you will have to play the play-off games or simply be automatically in when the final tournaments come around. Luckily enough, Ukraine won’t be sweating too much about those play-off games as the women’s soccer team is still in the number position to reach the UEFA Women’s Euro 2009 after losing to Portugal, the bottom placed team in Group 5.
The Ukraine team was the favorites in Chernigov and they won all six of their qualifying games prior to the Portugal match. That included a game against top seeded Denmark. Portugal had managed to get a measly single point from a draw during their seven games, and that was given up by Scotland. Everything was looking good for our Ukraine team thanks to Nataliya Soukhorokova scoring the first point six minutes into the match. Unfortunately, they weren’t expecting Edite Fernandes from the Portugal team to level in at the end of the first half before overcoming the Ukraine team once and for all.
Ukraine’s women soccer team goes up against Denmark on Wednesday October 1, 2008, and they know that a draw or better against the other team will ensure the spot for next summer’s finals in Finland without having to deal with the play-offs in October.
Read also:
Responses to 'Ukraine’s Women Soccer Teams Still Contenders'