Ukraine and Germany serve up Kyiv treat

Germany recovered from 3-1 down to earn a draw against UEFA EURO 2012 co-hosts Ukraine in the first match to be staged at Kyiv's revamped Olympic Stadium.

Ukraine were two goals to the good through Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka when Toni Kroos reduced the visitors' arrears seven minutes before the break. There was still time in the first half for Serhiy Nazarenko to restore the two-goal cushion, but the win the enthusiastic home supporters craved was denied by second-half strikes from Simon Rolfes and Thomas Müller.

A 70,000 crowd at the venue for the EURO final on 1 July watched the unexpected figure of Olexandr Rakitskiy set up the 28th-minute opener for Yarmolenko. Receiving possession on the edge of the penalty area, the centre-back dribbled his way along the byline before teeing up FC Dynamo Kyiv striker Yarmolenko for a simple finish.

The Germany defence was stretched again eight minutes later when Artem Milevskiy supplied Konoplyanka, who outstripped his pursuers from inside his own half, rounded Ron-Robert Zieler and poked the ball into the net.

Deploying two wingers in Christian Träsh and Dennis Aogo, Germany's approach bore fruit two minutes later as Anatoliy Tymoschuk's failure to clear allowed Kroos the opportunity to half-volley past Olexandr Rybka. Soon after, Sami Khedira headed against the woodwork. Reprieved, Ukraine restored their two-goal buffer through Nazarenko, who rifled in a shot on the cusp of half-time.

Two of a flurry of substitutes helped Germany find an unlikely draw. The first, Rolfes, gave Joachim Löw's men hope following a corner midway through the second half. With 13 minutes remaining the unmarked Müller, not long on, scored the sixth goal of the night when he shot past Rybka.

Ukraine: Rybka, Butko, Rakitskiy, Kucher, Selink, Yarmolenko (Aliyev 82), Tymoshchuk, Bezus (Nazarenko 39), Konoplyanka, Milevskiy (Dević 66), Shevchenko (Hay 66).

Germany: Zieler, Boateng, Badstuber, Hummels, Aogo, Khedira (Rolfes 46), Özil (Podolski 66), Träsch (Schürrle 46), Kroos (Bender 87), Götze (Müller 66), Gomez (Cacau 83).