On Saturday, November 16, the Ukrainian national team played its next match in the Nations League season 2024/25. The opponent of the "blue-yellow" team was the national team of Georgia, and the match took place in Batumi at the "Batumi Arena" stadium.
Nations League 2024/25. Division “B”. Group 1. Round 4
GEORGIA — UKRAINE — 1:1 (0:1)
Goals: Mikautadze (76) — Kvirkvelia (7, own goal)
Warnings: Lochoshvili (31), Gocholeishvili (70) — Shaparenko (62), Mykolenko (82), Mudryk (84)
Ukraine: 12.Trubin — 2.Konoplya, 13.Zabarnyi, 22.Matviienko (C), 16.Mykolenko — 6.Brazhko (21.Kalyuzhny, 80), 10.Shaparenko (15.Krysykiv, 64) — 8.Sudakov (14.Nazarenko, 86), 7.Mudryk, 20.Zubkov (19.Hutsulyak, 64) — 11.Dovbyk (18.Yarmolyuk, 80).
Substitutes: 1.Bushchan, 23.Riznyk, 3.Sych, 4.Taloverov, 5.Bondar, 17.Zichnenko, 18.Yarmolyuk.
Georgia: 12.Mamardashvili, 2.Kakabadze, 4.Kashiya (C), 5.Kvirkvelia (13.Gocholeishvili, 67), 6.Kochorashvili, 7.Kvaratskhelia, 8.Zivzivazde (22.Mikautadze, 67), 10.Chakvetadze (9.Davitashvili, 46), 14.Lochoshvili, 17.Kiteishvili (20.Mekvabishvili, 86), 19.Shengelia (21.Tsitaishvili, 67).
Substitutes: 1.Loria, 23.Gugeshashvili, 11.Lobjanidze, 15.Gvelesiani, 16.Kvekveskiri, 18.Kalandadze.
Match statistics >>>
Post-match press conference >>>
The match started favorably for the Ukrainian national team: already in the 7th minute of the match, Mudryk's cross led to the fact that Kvirkvelia, in an attempt to intercept the pass, deflected the ball into his own goal — 0:1.
Overall, the Ukrainian national team played with a counter-attacking style, but the Georgians did not extract significant dividends from this. Yes, there was a shot by Kvaratskhelia hitting the crossbar, which Trubin saved during a throw-in, but overall, the "blue-yellows" confidently played defensively and also occasionally counter-attacked. Thus, in the 37th minute of the match, Mudryk, bursting into the penalty area of the Georgian national team, shot from about 10 meters, but Mamardashvili managed to save his team from a second conceded goal.
The second half also proceeded under the dominance of the Georgian national team. And in the 63rd minute of the match, the hosts were very close to success — Kvaratskhelia shot from about 20 meters, and the ball hit the crossbar of the Ukrainian national team’s goal. The guests almost immediately responded with a shot from Dovbyk from the penalty area, but the ball was directed well above the goal.
In the end, however, the Georgian national team achieved its goal. In the 76th minute of the match, Trubin reacted to Kotorashvili's header but deflected the ball straight onto Mikautadze, who effectively finished off — 1:1.
Having equalized the score, the Georgians understandably launched a renewed attack, but did not achieve anything significant. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians had every chance to snatch a win during the stoppage time of the second half; however, Mamardashvili saved Georgia: he made two consecutive saves — first after a shot from Hutsulyak from about 11 meters, and then after a follow-up play from Nazarenko. In the end, a draw, 1:1.
In a parallel match of the 3rd round of Group 1 of Division “B”, Albania and Czech Republic will play today in Tirana. Meanwhile, the tournament standings of the teams in this group took the following form:
1. Georgia — 7 (5 matches)
1. Czech Republic — 7 points (4)
3. Albania — 6 (4)
4. Ukraine — 5 (5).
In the next and final round of this group on November 19, the matches will be: Albania — Ukraine, Czech Republic — Georgia.
Oleksandr POPOV
