Scan confirms end of Stepanenko's tournament
Monday, June 13, 2011
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Injury has ended Taras Stepanenko's involvement at the finals after a scan showed Ukraine's captain had suffered the recurrence of a thigh problem against the Czech Republic.
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Ukraine captain Taras Stepanenko will miss the rest of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals in Denmark after suffering an adductor muscle injury.
The holding midfielder was forced off in the second half of Ukraine's Group B opener against the Czech Republic on Sunday, which ended in a 2-1 defeat. The FC Shakhtar Donetsk player had just recovered from a similar problem, having made only two Premier-Liha appearances since 29 March, and will likely need surgery following this latest thigh problem.
"The initial scan showed a muscle tear, so unfortunately the European Championship is over for me," the 21-year-old told the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) website. "At one point I tried to shield the ball and their player ran into me at full speed. I then felt the area where I received the knock and realised I wouldn't be able to take any further part in the tournament."
Coach Pavlo Yakovenko lost first-choice left-back Yevhen Selin to a high temperature on the morning of the Czech Republic game. Ukraine face England in their next match on Wednesday in Herning before finishing their Group B campaign against Spain four days later.
