Soccer: Ukraine beat Tunisia and make last 16

BERLIN - An Andriy Shevchenko penalty gave Ukraine a 1-0 victory over 10-man Tunisia in World Cup Group H this morning, assuring the east European side of a place in the last 16.

Shevchenko rifled home the spot kick in the 70th minute after referee Carlos Amarilla of Paraguay ruled the striker had been brought down by Tunisian defender Karim Hagui.

Replays showed the Ukraine striker had been jostled before tripping over his own feet.

"It's a hugely important achievement for Ukrainian football that we have got into the next round," Shevchenko said after the match.

"We always kept our belief despite the terrible defeat against Spain," he added, referring to Ukraine's 4-0 defeat in their opening match of the tournament.

Needing a win to qualify, Tunisia suffered a major blow in first half injury time when striker Ziad Jaziri was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Anatoly Tymoshchyuk.

But Ukraine, needing only a draw to be sure of joining group winners Spain in the second round, struggled to make the most of their advantage in a scrappy game at Berlin's Olympiastadion.

Coach Oleg Blokhin's side will play France, South Korea or Switzerland in the second round, depending on the outcome of matches played later on Friday.

Ukraine's best opportunity of the first half came in the 22nd minute when midfielder Tymoshchyuk burst into the penalty area but Tunisian goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel beat away his left-footed shot.

Tunisia's best efforts came from set pieces but they showed little to suggest they could win the game.

Hamed Namouchi struck a curling free kick in the 19th minute but Ukraine goalkeeper Oleksander Shovkovsky caught the ball cleanly.

"We certainly share the disillusionment of the Tunisian fans but life goes on and we now have to think about qualification for the next African Nations Cup as well as the next World Cup," said Tunisia coach Roger Lemerre.

- REUTERS