Blokhin warns against overconfidence after Ukraine recapture fighting spirit

Ukraine must come back down to earth quickly after Monday's 4-0 crushing of Saudi Arabia if they are to get past Tunisia and secure a place in the second round at their first World Cup finals, according to their coach, Oleg Blokhin.

Helped by Andrei Shev-chenko's return to form and by four changes to their starting line-up, the eastern Europeans bounced back from a 4-0 drubbing by Spain that had left Blokhin incensed by their mental approach and lack of fight. Blokhin said his main task now would be to stop his team growing overconfident before they face a Tunisia side who frightened the life out of Spain on Monday and know only a win can see them through.

"This game gave us a big boost mentally," he said. "But we have to re-establish the mental basis for victory after this and it will be harder to motivate the players this time because we won."

With Spain through, Ukraine lead the running for second place and a berth in the last 16, with three points. Saudi Arabia and Tunisia have one point each and must win their last games to stand a chance of advancing. Ukraine play Tunisia in Berlin on Friday while Saudi Arabia take on Spain in Kaiserslautern.

The eastern Europeans proved on Monday that they are far from the one-man show some have suggested. Shevchenko, a former European Footballer of the Year, looked sharp again after a month off with injury, but it was Sergei Rebrov and Maxim Kalinichenko who engineered the victory in midfield.

Though a bit-part player with Spartak Moscow, Kalinichenko took the Fifa man of the match award, scored the fourth and supplied the barrage of pinpoint crosses that were the key to victory.

"I have always said he is a great player and a great passer of the ball," Rebrov said of his team-mate. "He hasn't played much for Spartak and I don't know why this is. But he is a good friend and a good person. Today he showed what he can do, but he can do even better."

Rebrov said the side could now do justice to their fans' expectations after they were the first European team to qualify for the finals from a group including Denmark, Turkey and the European champions, Greece. "In qualification we were best in the group and everybody sees Ukraine as a strong team, but now we have to show it," he said.

"I think after the way we played today, Tunisia will really be preparing for us well. After losing 4-0 to Spain, I think Saudi Arabia didn't prepare well for us and thought we were not any good any more. We have to take this performance to the next game ... but we have shown we are capable of doing something at the World Cup."

Although Tunisia finally capitulated against Spain in an absorbing match on Monday, the nature of their performance gave their coach, Roger Lemerre, hope they can reach the last 16.

For 70 minutes the North Africans stifled Spain's creative flair and hung on to the lead given to them by Zied Jaziri in the eighth minute, only for Raul and Fernando Torres to punish them for late lapses. Nevertheless, Lemerre said their was plenty to be hopeful about as they prepare for their must-win game with Ukraine.

"I'm not an optimist, I'm a realist," the Frenchman said, looking towards the match against Ukraine. "This performance gives us hope and we have to convert that into a result against the Ukrainians. If we win, we could find ourselves in the round of 16, but it's going to be very tough. In a way both sides are in the same situation."

Lemerre could only look with envy at Spain's substitutes' bench, packed with attacking flair in the form of the Real Madrid striker Raul, Arsenal's livewire midfielder Cesc Fabregas and Real Betis's Joaquin. His own options up front are limited, especially as his leading striker, Francileudo Santos, is still recovering from a shin injury and has only a 50 per cent chance of featuring.

"At this moment the answer is no," Lemerre said when asked if the Brazilian-born forward would play against Ukraine. "My squad players are nearly as good as the ones on the pitch, but you only had to look at Spain's substitutes' bench to see the difference between the sides."