International Career
Shevchenko achieved 111 caps and scored 48 goals for the Ukrainian national team, whom he represented at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. He scored his first international goal in May 1996 in a friendly against Turkey.
In March 2000, Dynamo manager Valeri Lobanovsky became Ukraine's coach, with the aim to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. Shevchenko scored ten goals in the qualifiers, but Ukraine failed to qualify after losing a play-off against Germany. He scored a total of five goals in Ukraine's Euro 2008 qualifying round.
After only playing two games for Milan in the 2008–09 season, some critics suggested Shevchenko was past his best but he silenced his critics after scoring an equaliser in an 2010 World Cup qualifying match against England at Wembley Stadium. Ukraine, however, went on to lose the game 2–1 after his former Chelsea teammate John Terry scored from a free kick delivered by David Beckham.
In a 21 December 2009 interview with UEFA, Shevchenko declared that he was keen to play in his home country at UEFA Euro 2012. "After a disappointing 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, that is my new challenge, or even dream. I will do everything to achieve that."
In May 2012, Shevchenko was named in the Ukrainian squad for UEFA Euro 2012. In Ukraine's opening game Shevchenko scored two headers to beat Sweden 2–1 in Group D. In Ukraine's final game, against England, Marko Dević scored a "ghost goal" in the second half, with Ukraine losing 1–0 to a Wayne Rooney goal. Dević's shot was hooked clear from behind the England goal-line by Shevchenko's former Chelsea teammate John Terry under the eyes of the additional assistant referee standing beside the goal (as confirmed by video replays). The incident reopened football's goal-line technology debate. After this game, Shevchenko announced he would retire from international football, having been Ukraine's youngest and oldest goalscorer and record marksman with 48 goals in 111 appearances.
In November 2012 Shevchenko refused to accept Football Federation of Ukraine's proposal to become head coach of the Ukrainian national team.
Read more about this topic: Andriy Shevchenko
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