On Monday, June 3, the national team of Ukraine in preparation for Euro 2024 held a friendly with the German national team in Nuremberg.
Friendly match
GERMANY - UKRAINE -0:0
Ukraine: 12.Trubin, 22.Matvienko, 3.Svatok, 13.Zabarny, 17.Zinchenko, 2.Konoplya (24.Tymchik, 80), 6.Stepanenko (K) (18.Brazhko, 64), 10.Mudryk (20.Zubkov, 64), 19.Shaparenko (14.Sudakov, 72), 15.Tsygankov (7.Yarmolenko, 64), 9.Yaremchuk (11.Dovbik, 72).
Reserves: 1.Buschan, 23.Lunin, 4.Taloverov, 5.Sidorchuk, 8.Malinovskyi, 16.Mikolenko, 21.Bondar, 25.Vanat, 26.Mikhailichenko.
Germany: 1.Neuer, 4.Ta (24.Koch, 60), 5.Gross, 6.Kimmich, 16.Anton, 10.Musiala (14.Bayer, 60), 17.Wirtz (26.Undav, 46), 21.Gundogan (K) (11.Furich, 46), 7.Havertz (13.Muller, 60), 18.Mittelstadt, 23.Andrich (25.Pavlovic, 71).
Reserves: 12.Baumann, 15.Nubel, 22.ter Stegen, 3.Raum, 9.Gruda, 19.Reitz, 20.Henrichs.
Match transcript and statistics >>>
Post-match press conference >>>.
With the starting whistle, the German national team moved the game to the Ukrainian national team's half of the pitch, but already in the 4th minute of the match they received an unpleasant counterattack on their own goal: Mudryk ran through the central zone, at the entrance to the penalty area struck a blow, the ball hit Anton, bounced to the left to free Tsygankov, who shot on the move, but sent the ball over the target.
Germans for the first time created a threat to the goal of "blue-yellow" on 16 minutes of the meeting, when after a cross Gundogan unhindered shot with his head from seven meters, but in this favorable situation directed the ball to his knee, after which it flew into the gate, but became an easy prey for Trubin. A few minutes later Wirtz created a good moment - he shot from the penalty area, and the ball flew over the crossbar of the Ukrainian team.
In general, the entire first half went under the sign of full advantage of the German national team. Although, of course, closer to the 30th minute the intensity of the hosts' actions somewhat decreased, and the Ukrainians began to cling to the ball more often and more often move the game away from their penalty area. And in the 38th minute the guests had an opportunity to open the scoring - it was Yaremchuk, having received a pass in the German penalty area from Tsygankov, shot from 8 meters, but Neuer saved his team. And almost immediately the German team responded in the form of Musiala's shot from the penalty area, after which the ball flew half a meter away from Trubin's goal post. And that's where the events of the first half ended, so the teams went to the break with zeros on the scoreboard.
The pattern of the game in the second half has not changed. To put it mildly. Already in the 53rd minute of the match the German team created another scoring moment: Havertz shot a header from about 11 meters, and the ball flew near the bar. And shortly after that, Bayer, barely coming on as a substitute, hit the crossbar of the Ukrainian team's goal with a shot from outside the penalty area. Two minutes later, the same Bayer again shot, and this time Trubin not without difficulty transferred the game to a corner.
In short, at the start of the second half, the German national team frankly "drove" the Ukrainian national team, but, as in the case of the first half, the intensity of the host team's actions decreased over time. Nevertheless, in the 78th minute of the match the Germans were again close to success: Furich shot from 25 meters, and Trubin with great difficulty repelled the ball, which flew under the crossbar of his goal.
The German national team had full advantage until the end of the match, but in the 89th minute of the meeting almost had a sensation: the hosts made a mess in the center of the field, and Neuer ran almost to the center circle, and as a result Dovbik jumped with the ball to an empty net and, of course, hit them, but - offside, the goal was not counted. As a result, the match ended with the score 0:0.
We would like to add that the next friendly match in preparation for Euro 2024 Ukraine national team will play this Friday, June 7, with the national team of Poland. The match will be held in Warsaw at the National Stadium (kickoff at 21:45 Kyiv time).
Oleksandr POPOV
