After defeating old rivals Germany in a knockout match for the first time since the 1966 World Cup final, England coach Gareth Southgate said the victory would be little if they lost to Ukraine.
The draw opened up well for England, who would be in favor of defeating a team coached by former Ballon d’Or winner Andrey Shevchenko, and Southgate urged his team to seize their chances.
“By the last whistle on the second day, the players were already talking about and preparing for the next game,” said Southgate, with England set to play their first match of the competition away from Wembley.
“They admitted that although they loved the experience of the previous game, you move quickly into the tournament and we haven’t reached the point we want to be yet.
“It hasn’t been too difficult to get people to focus again. The opportunity is there, the confidence. They’re looking forward to the challenge.”
A more subdued atmosphere awaits at the Stadio Olimpico, where England fans are expected to be limited to a permitted capacity of 16,000.
England supporters have been warned not to travel to the Italian capital for games as Covid-19 restrictions mean even ticketed people cannot use them.
Italian health rules require fans traveling from Britain to observe a five-day quarantine and will therefore miss the match.
Ukraine are seeking a place in the last four of a major tournament for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union, having matched their run in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup.
“We will try our best, try to surprise them. But we know we have to play the best game of our lives to surpass them,” said Ukraine midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko, who will come up against several of his Manchester City teammates.
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