Oslo, Norway: A second-half goal from Roman Zozulia gave Ukraine a 1-0 win over Norway in a friendly match on Wednesday.
Zozulia tapped the ball into the net in the 78th minute after a free kick from Yevgeniy Konoplianka popped out of Norway keeper Jon Knudsen's hands.
Norway dominated the first half, with Roma's John Arne Riise and Blackburn midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen key figures, but the team lacked a cutting edge.
The host's best chance came in the 81st minute when captain Brede Hangeland directed a free kick from Riise to substitute Simen Brenne, who managed to scoop the ball over the crossbar from just a yard out.
It was the first home loss for 67-year-old Norway coach Egil Olsen since he came out of retirement in January 2009 to take the helm temporarily following a string of poor results under then-coach Aage Hareide. Olsen also managed Norway from 1990-1998, its most successful era.
"It's disappointing, but it could be worse. We were so clearly better than Ukraine," Olsen told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 after the match. "But that happens sometimes in football — you lose even if you're the better team."
Both Norway and Ukraine failed to qualify for the forthcoming World Cup in South Africa.
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