Music: {allcanada} Canada give Ukraine a scare in Kyiv

Friday, October 8, 2010

{allcanada} Canada give Ukraine a scare in Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine -- Canada came close to posting a major soccer upset Friday before settling for a 2-2 draw with Ukraine.

Canada is ranked 88th in the world, compared to No. 26 for Ukraine, co-host of the European championships in 2012.

Simeon Jackson and Atiba Hutchinson gave Canada a 2-0 lead going into halftime of the soccer friendly.

Jackson snuck by a defender in the 12th minute and fired a quick shot over Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Piatov who was off the line. The shot caught Piatov by surprise and was placed perfectly underneath the crossbar.

In the 29th minute, Hutchinson took a slotted pass on the run and just reached the ball before Piatov. He sidestepped with the ball to the left and blasted it home. The goal came in Hutchinson's 50th international.

Ukraine continued to create its chances and Canada could only hold up for so long. In the 59th minute, Oleg Gusev fired a powerful shot that struck the post, but the rebound came across the goal to Artem Milevsky who buried it into an empty net.