On Friday, June 21, the Ukrainian national team played its second match at Euro 2024. The opponent of the Blue-Yellows was Slovakia, and the game was held in Düsseldorf at the Merkur Spiel Arena.
Euro 2024. Group stage. Group "E". 2nd round
SLOVAKIA - UKRAINE - 1:2 (1:0)
Goals: Schranz (17) - Shaparenko (54), Yaremchuk (80)
Warnings: Yaremchuk (84)
Ukraine: 12.Trubin, 17.Zinchenko, 22.Matvienko, 13.Zabarny, 24.Tymchik, 18.Brazhko (5.Sidorchuk, 85), 19.Shaparenko (4.Taloverov, 90+2), 14.Sudakov, 10.Mudryk (8.Malinovsky, 85), 7.Yarmolenko (K) (20.Zubkov, 67), 11.Dovbik (9.Yaremchuk, 67).
Reserves: 1.Buschan, 23.Lunin, 2.Konoplya, 3.Svatok, 6.Stepanenko, 15.Tsygankov, 16.Mikolenko, 21.Bondar, 25.Vanat, 26.Mikhailichenko.
Slovakia: 1.Dubravka, 2.Pekarik, 3.Vavro, 14.Shkrinjar (K), 16.Hancko, 8.Duda (11.Benes, 60), 19.Kucka, 22.Lobotka, 9.Bozhenik (18.Strelec, 60), 17.Garaslin (7.Suslov, 67), 26.Schranz (24.Sauer, 86).
Reserves: 12.Rodak, 23.Ravas, 4.Obert, 5.Rigaud, 6.Gyomber, 10.Tupta, 13.Groszowski, 15.De Marko, 20.Durysh, 21.Bero, 25.Kosa.
Match transcript and statistics >>>
Post-match press conference >>>>
From the starting whistle the Slovak national team took the advantage, took the ball almost under its full control, but at the same time acted with some caution. And already in the 10th minute the Slovaks created two consecutive chances. First, Garaslin took the game on the left flank, broke into the penalty area and shot into the near corner - Trubin kicked the ball away. A minute later, after a ricochet Schranz shot at the gates of the Ukraine national team with a shot from the corner of the goalkeeper's box, but even in this situation the goalkeeper of "blue-yellow" saved his team. The Ukraine national team responded with a shot by Brazhko from outside the penalty area, which was easily handled by Dubravka.
Well, on 17 minutes Slovakia still achieved their goal. First Trubin again made a save, parried a free kick from Gantsko, but a few seconds later nothing saved the Ukrainian team from a missed goal: Garaslin received a pass from touch, from the front line made a soft pass to Shrantz, he won the positional struggle and hit the ball into the gate "blue-yellow" - 1:0.
Having achieved success, the Slovakian national team did not even think to stop and continued to lead the game in the half after the Ukraine national team. However, Rebrov's team in this segment of the match created their first goal moment - it was Dovbik received a pass from Mudrik in the left side of the penalty area, beat Shkrinjar, shot into the near corner, but this shot was blocked in the stretch by Pekarik.
And in the 34th minute the Ukraine national team was as close to success as possible: a massive attack of "blue-yellow" ended with a shot from the right side of the penalty area by Tymchik, and the ball hit the far post of the Slovakian team's goal. We should also note a free kick from Zinchenko, which Dubravka coped with with difficulty. However, the Slovaks immediately responded with a long-range shot from Garaslin, and this time Trubin had to work hard. As a result, the teams went to the break with the score 1:0 on the scoreboard.
The second half started well for the Ukraine national team: in the 54th minute of the match it equalized the score. Counterattack "blue-yellow" turned into a positional attack, but in the end Shaparenko received in the Slovakian penalty area pass from the left flank from Zinchenko and a technical shot in touch from 10 meters sent the ball into the bottom corner of the Slovakian goal - 1:1.
After this goal, the Ukrainian team began to possess the ball much more and attack, but the Slovaks showed a desire to regain the advantage in the score. So, in general, the game became absolutely equal. And without much urgency.
A series of mutual substitutions did not affect the situation either. But on the 80th minute of the match the Ukraine national team influenced it: Shaparenko played a filigree pass from the left flank into the Slovakian penalty area to Yaremchuk, who stopped the ball with his first touch, and with his second - pushed it past Dubravka into the goal, 1:2.
The rest of the match was expectedly played in the Ukraine's half of the pitch, but Slovakia had no chance to avoid defeat.
Thus, after two matches played, the national team of Ukraine gained three points. In the parallel match of the 2nd round of Group "E" tomorrow will play Belgium and Romania (start at 22:00 Kyiv time), and the current standings of the group are as follows:
1. Romania - 3 points (1 match)
2. Ukraine - 3 (2)
3. Slovakia - 3 (2)
4. Belgium - 0 (1).
The matches of the 3rd and final round in this group will be as follows: Ukraine - Belgium, Slovakia - Romania. Both matches will be held next Wednesday, June 26.
Alexander POPOV
