On Tuesday, 26 March in one of the final matches of the play-off round of the Euro 2024 qualifying cycle, the Ukrainian national team defeated the Icelandic team and thus reached the final part of the European Championship.
Photo — Oksana VasilievaEuro 2024. Qualifying cycle, play-off round, way "B", final
UKRAINE - ISLAND - 2:1 (0:1)
Goals: Tsygankov (54), Mudryk (84) - A. Gvydmundsson (30)
Warnings: Malinovskyi (42), Zinchenko (90+2) - Haraldsson (21), Ingason (56), J. Gvydmundsson (90).
Ukraine: 23.Lunin - 2.Konoplya, 13.Zabarny, 22.Matvienko (K), 16.Mykolenko - 14.Brazhko, 8.Malinovsky (17.Zinchenko, 64) - 15.Tsygankov (4.Taloverov, 88), 7.Sudakov, 10.Mudryk - 9.Yaremchuk (11.Dovbik, 72).
Reserves: 1.Buschan, 12.Trubin, 3.Mikhailichenko, 5.Sidorchuk, 6.Shaparenko, 11.Dovbik, 18.Vanat, 19.Bondar, 20.Zubkov, 21.Tymchik.
Iceland: 12.Valdimarsson, 3.Thorarinsson (14.Finnsson, 63), 4.Palsson, 5.Ingason, 7.J.Gvydmundsson, 6.Shaparenko, 6.Shaparenko, 11.Dovbik, 18.Vanat, 19.Bondar, 20.Zukov, 21.Tymchik. Gvydmundsson (K), 9.Thorsteinsson (8.Ellertsson, 87), 10.A. Gvydmundsson, 17.Haraldsson (16.Anderson, 87), 18.Gretarsson, 21.Traustason, 22.A. Gudjohnsen (20.Oskarsson, 63).
Reserves: 1.E. Olafsson, 13.P. Gunnarsson, 2.Sampstead, 6.Hermannsson, 11.Finnbogason, 15.V. Villumsson, 19.Jouhannesson, 23.K. Hlinsson.
Match transcript and statistics >>>
Post-match press conference >>>>
Both teams started the match cautiously, but that didn't stop them from exchanging chances in the opening period. In the 14th minute, Thorsteinsson struck a dangerous shot from 25 metres out, and Lunin had to work hard to reach the ball. And just a minute later, Ukraine responded with Mikolenko's shot from outside the penalty area - close to the bar.
Later the game was played in a relatively equal struggle, the Ukrainians could boast only a slight superiority in terms of ball control, but no more than that. In such a situation there was no sharpness at any of the gates, but in the 30th minute of the match Icelanders found their moment and managed to realise it - it was Gvydmundsson from the half-circle line made a perfect shot: the ball after it flew exactly under the bar of the Ukrainian goal. Lunin with all his efforts and skills could not help - 0:1.
Of course, the Ukraine national team, having conceded, rushed into attack. And started creating chances. First Sudakov shot from the right side of the penalty area of the Icelandic team to the near corner of the goal - the goalkeeper reacted and converted the game to a corner. Then Zabarny made a clear header after a corner kick - again the Icelandic goalkeeper was flawless. Finally, in the 37th minute of the match Sudakov made a diagonal cross to the right side of the Icelandic penalty area, Tsygankov made a header to Yaremchuk, who touched the ball into the net, and the referee counted the goal, but VAR cancelled the goal due to offside. As a result, the first half of the match ended with the score 1:0 in favour of Iceland.
However, at the start of the second half, the Ukraine national team levelled the score: in the 54th minute of the game in the counterattack of "blue-yellow" Tsygankov took the game on himself and eventually hit the target with a shot from the penalty area - 1:1.
Later on, the game passed under the sign of advantage of the Ukrainian national team, but there was no obvious sharpness at the gates of the Icelandic team. In this segment of the match we can only note Yaremchuk's shot from the right side of the penalty area, after which the ball hit the outside of the net, as well as Sudakov's free kick under the crossbar, which was confidently handled by the goalkeeper.
And in the 74th minute of the match the Ukraine national team had to take the lead: Mikolenko as a result of a beautiful pass from Brazhko found himself one-on-one with the Icelandic goalkeeper, but, shooting from the goalkeeper's line, failed to hit the goal. However, Icelanders immediately responded - it was Thorsteinsson with a shot from the corner of the penalty area sent the ball exactly into the far "nine" gate of the Ukrainian team, but Lunin managed to save his team from a sure goal. A couple of minutes later, after a rough cutback by Zabarny, Gvydmundsson shot from six metres, and the ball almost hit the bar of the blue-and-yellow goal.
Well, in the end of the second half the Ukraine national team managed to tip the scales in its favour - it was Mudryk with a shot from 18 meters sent the ball into the bottom corner of the gate of the Iceland national team - 2:1.
Thus, the national team of Ukraine managed to get a ticket to the final part of the European Championship 2024. According to the earlier draw, at the group stage of the tournament "blue-yellow" will play in group "E" with Belgium, Slovakia and Romania. In the opening match of Euro 2024, the Ukrainian national team will play Romania on 17 June in Munich.
Oleksandr POPOV
