Ukraine fail to shake off play-off curse

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KIEV, Nov 19, 2009 (AFP) - Ukraine once again failed to shake off the play-off curse that has seen them miss out on three previous major football events, press here said after the team missed out on next year's World Cup.

With a 1-0 home defeat to Greece, Ukraine, who were World Cup quarter-finalists in 2006, extended their miserable record in play-offs, having already lost at this stage in qualifying for the 1998 and 2002 World Cups as well as the 2000 European championships.

"We had plenty of chances but missed all of them," said the daily Sport Express. "We should not blame bad luck for it. It was our team that lacked skills, concentration and persistence."

Another Ukrainian newspaper, Football, also blamed the team for poor performance.

"Ukraine proved to be the weakest team in the clash of the two weakest teams in the play-offs," it said. "The Greeks created only a few chances in the match but managed to score."

The daily newspaper Komanda (the Team) rounded on the national football federation for upping ticket prices, a decision that backfired when the 50,000-seater Donbass Arena was left half-empty for the crucial game.

"It's a scandal," Komanda said. "The decision to hike ticket prices left the fans without a spectacle and our team without proper support."

Barcelona defender Dmitry Chygrynskiy, who did not feature in the play-offs against Greece, told AFP that only he and his teammates should be blamed for the defeat.

"We all are guilty of this defeat," Chygrynskiy said. "All of us, even those, who were sitting on the bench.

"It's hard to give the exact reasons for the defeat. Anyway we failed to achieve our goal.

"Moreover, now we will miss serious football over the next two years. We are hosting Euro 2012 and will likely play only friendlies."

Bayern midfielder Anatoly Tymoshchuk added: "We experienced problems in all components of our play.

"The Greeks did not spring any surprises. We knew how to play against them but failed to convert our plans into reality."