Euro 2012 Match Report: England 1 Ukraine 0

A more defensive England set-up, designed to stop Ukraine scoring, and you can't knock Roy Hodgson for that. Ukraine should have been awarded a goal in the second half, when a strike of theirs was clearly over the line. But England deserved their win, of both the game and group. Job done.

Hart 7. Assured, defence protected him well.
Johnson 6. Quiet. Gave away possession unnecessarily x2.
Cole 6. No mistakes. One good shot.
Terry 9 (MoM). Marshalled defence superbly, 2 crucial touches to deny goals, dangerous at England corners.
Lescott 6. Understandably super-cautious, did nothing wrong.
Gerrard 7. Great vision again.
Parker 6. Quiet, but solid.
Milner 6. Workhorse, not best suited by defensive set-up. Seems to struggle in humid conditions.
Young 6. Quiet, fundamentally because of defensive set-up.
Welbeck 5. Ineffective, surrendered possession needlessly x3, no goal this time.
Rooney 6. Looked fit, but out of practice. Often surrendered possession. Goalkeeping error gifted his tap-in.
Walcott (Sub) 6. No real impact, did nothing wrong.
Oxlade-Chamberlain (Sub) 6. Looked a bit untidy, but made a nuisance of himself.
Carroll (Sub) 6. Little time to make an impact.

Job done sums it up. I'd expect a different approach for Sunday's Quarter Final against Italy, and I think England have a real chance of progressing, to a Semi-Final against Germany.

Who's going to win on Sunday? Check out http://tinyurl.com/cxzyutk 

Will Germany's Mesut Ozil Become One of the Best Players in the World?

I started watching this kid during the 2010 World Cup. Even at 21 years old, he seemed to have it all; poise, flair, skill, and a cool head. I watched Germany play Holland tonight in Euro 2012, and there's no doubt about it, he's very much world class. He's 23 now, and I'm sure that in a year or two, he'll emerge further, to become one of the very best players in the world. As an Englishman, I fear that the German national team, which was generally young in 2010, will develop with him, to become a truly momentous force in world football.