'We are not afraid': Ukraine media is defiant ahead of England showdown

Recognition of underdog status mixed with reasons to believe as the nation hopes for more glory from Shevchenko’s side

Ukraine's coach Andrey Shevchenko speaks with his players during an MD-1 training session at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Picture: Alessandro Garofalo/AFP via Getty Images

“We respect the English national team. But we are not afraid,” read a defiant headline on Thursday in Vysoky Zamok, a daily newspaper from Lviv in western Ukraine. Propelled into the Euro 2020 quarter-finals by sheer moxie, grit and a bit of tournament luck, Ukraine now hope to upset an England team that feel fate is on their side.

Ukraine’s Cinderella story has seen the team progress from third place in Group C to secure a surprise win over Sweden with a 121st-minute header on Tuesday. As his underdogs prepare for Saturday’s match in Rome, Andriy Shevchenko said what millions of exhilarated Ukrainians are hoping: “Anything is possible.”