It was not easy. At the start of the match, Ukraine were determined to get a result. They understood that if they did not win, they could be eliminated.
The opening minutes of the match saw back and forth action between the Ukrainians and the Slovaks. The Ukrainians had their first chance on goal in the 13th minute when Volodymyr Brazhko shot the ball at the top of the box. It was saved by Slovak goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka, but the start showed Ukraine had more determination compared to their match on Monday.
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Moments later, Slovakia opened the scoring. Following a throw-in, Slovak Lukáš Haraslín delivered a cross into the box. Teammate Ivan Schranz quickly connected with the ball and he headed it home. Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin came close to saving it, but the ball bounced just under his arm.
As the match progressed, Ukraine chased the lead. The Ukrainians pressed the Slovaks and their hard work nearly came off in the 33rd minute. Ukrainian right-back Oleksandr Tymchyk collected the ball at the edge of the Slovak box and he shot on goal. Dúbravka was beaten, but it bounced outside of the post. Ukraine continued to press, but nothing came of it. After a nice spell from Ukraine, Slovakia eventually held on and the lead was 1-0 at half time.
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The Ukrainians, however, did not give up. When the second half began, they turned up the tempo and eventually their work paid off. During the 54th minute, Oleksandr Zinchenko beat his defender and he slotted the ball across goal. An unmarked Mykola Shaparenko then fired the ball into the goal. This awoke the Ukrainian squad.
Having secured an equalizer, Ukraine then fought to earn a victory. Time after time, the Ukrainians pressed the Slovaks. They congested space for the Slovaks to pass the ball, and they cut off angles for the Slovaks to shoot the ball. The Ukrainians believed they could earn a result from this match and keep their hopes alive in EURO 2024.
Eventually, the moment came. In the 80th minute, Mykola Shaparenko chipped the ball over the Slovak defense. Ukrainian forward Roman Yaremchuk broke the offside trap, and he collected the ball well in the Slovak box. He trapped the ball and then tapped it past Dúbravka, giving the Ukrainians the lead with 10 minutes to play.
After the two goals, Slovakia tried to force things and steal a late equalizer. Their moment, however, never came. Having secured the lead, the Ukrainians defended well and they hung on to their result. After five minutes of additional time, the match ended 2-1 in Ukraine’s favor.
Following the game, Ukraine dedicated their victory to their home country. They also vowed to continue fighting for them while in the competition.
Ultimately, this was a match of two halves. Earlier in the game, Ukraine seemed to be on the verge of elimination. Instead, they earned an important result and are still very much in contention to advance to the competition’s knockout stages.
Now, Ukraine have everything to play for in their final match of the group stage against Belgium on Wednesday in Stuttgart. Win, and they will secure their place in the Round of 16. Lose, and they will almost certainly be eliminated from contention. A draw may be enough, but it will depend on how other teams finish in their respective groups. Time will tell how they will fare.
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