Ukraine ease past Libya 3-0 in warm-up

FIFA World Cup™ debutants Ukraine warmed up for the finals in Germany with a 3-0 friendly victory over Libya in the Swiss town of Gossau on Monday.
Volodymir Yezersky headed the first from a 49th-minute corner before Olexiy Belik and Andriy Vorobei added two late goals.

Ukraine captain Andriy Shevchenko, recuperating from a knee injury he sustained last month, did not play.

The 2004 European Footballer of the Year, who joined English champions Chelsea from AC Milan last week, is expected to be fit for his team’s FIFA World Cup opener against Spain on June 14.

Ukraine’s other Group H opponents are Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

It was the second match between Ukraine and Libya, after they drew 1-1 in Tripoli two years ago in Oleg Blokhin’s second game as Ukraine coach.

Libya had scoring chances but first-choice keeper Oleksander Shovkovsky and back-up Bohdan Shust, who came on after the interval, did well to keep them out.

Ukraine began their FIFA World Cup preparations with a 4-0 thrashing of Costa Rica on May 28 before holding Italy to a 0-0 draw in Lausanne last Friday.

They face Luxembourg in their final warm-up on Thursday.