oday at The Cherry Red Records Stadium there was a top-secret friendly between England's second team Brentford and the Ukraine national team, which these days in London is preparing for the match with England in the qualifying round of Euro 2024 (March 26, London).
A secret friendly match
Ukraine national team - "Brentford B" (England) - 2:0 (1:0)
Goals: Svatok (22), Sudakov (65).
Ukraine: (1st half) -. Lunin, Karavaev, Svatok, Matvienko, Mikolenko, Stepanenko, Malinovskyi, Bondarenko, Buyalskyi, Mudryk, Yaremchuk; (2nd half) - Shevchenko, Miroshnichenko, Popov, Sarapiy, Sobol, Tsygankov, Pikhalyonok, Sudakov, Buyalskyy, Konoplyanka, Dovbik.
The meeting was held entirely behind the scenes. Only representatives of the official delegations of the rivals and families of Ukrainian players living abroad were allowed on the stands.
With the starting whistle Ukrainian team seized the initiative. It's hard to call the game spectacular in the performance of both teams before the break. But the initiative was on the side of the Ukrainians. And as a result - the ball was scored after a corner kick. Malinovskiy crossed from the right flank, and Svatok was the most agile in the penalty area and headed the ball into the net.
Ruslan Rotan's charges could have scored more in the dying stages of the first half. But first, after an unsuccessful sending off by Brentford players the ball hit the post, and then Dovbik together with partners failed to grasp the ball when it seemed that it should have got in the gate from close range.
In the second half of the starting lineup was left only Buyalskyy. But the Ukrainian national team`s game design had not changed. Ruslan Rotan also took the initiative. The Ukrainians had a few opportunities to score, but converted only one of them. On 65 minutes, Sudakov shot from outside the penalty box, and the opposing goalkeeper was powerless. 0:2.
However, after that he saved his team after Konoplyanka, Dovbik and Tsygankov. And toward the end of the match Bujalski just by miracle from ten meters did not hit the gate, punching over the crossbar.
