Greeks frustrated by solid Ukraine

UKRAINE are favourites to progress after defying a powderkeg atmosphere in Athens to hold Greece.

Both teams passed up good chances to score but it was the visitors who created the most opportunities and they will have the advantage in Wednesday’s return leg in Donetsk.

Theofanis Gekas passed up Greece’s best chance with a first-half header while Ruslan Rotan was guilty of missing Ukraine’s clearest opening when he dragged a shot wide.

Liverpool defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos could have won the match for former European champions Greece in the dying seconds but he flashed a header wide from a cross by Konstantinos Katsouranis.

“We now have a slight advantage because we are playing at home,” said Ukraine coach Olexiy Mikhailichenko. “We tried to play on the counter attack and our game plan was effective. We now have to sit down and analyse the game to see how we will approach the return.”

“Ukraine were very effective with their passing combinations and their attacking players were very good,” said Greece coach Otto Rehhagel.

“If we had conceded a goal it would have made things extremely difficult for us.”