Macedonia another loss game at EURO 2020
Euro 2020 — Ukraine’s 2-1 win over North Macedonia edges them closer to last 16 spot.
Ukraine edge closer to a spot in the last 16 after a narrow 2-1 win over North Macedonia.
#UKRMKD L'Ukraine bien lancée!#EURO2020 #UKR #MKD pic.twitter.com/Dwq375nbYW
— UEFA EURO 2024 🇫🇷 (@EURO2024FRA) June 17, 2021
Andriy Yarmolenko netted his second of the tournament to give Ukraine the lead just shy of the 30-minute mark. He tapped in a corner that was flicked on by Oleksandr Karavaev.
Ukraine continued to dominate and showed just how easily they could split North Macedonia’s defence. A perfectly weighted through ball by Yarmolenko to Roman Yaremchuk allowed him to slot the ball past goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Georgi Bushchan thought he had denied North Macedonia the opportunity to get themselves back in the game as he tipped Arijan Ademi’s shot onto the bar moments before a penalty was awarded to North Macedonia.
Leeds’ Ezgjan Alioski stepped up to take and Bushchan denied his opponents once again but Alioski was quick to follow up and converted the rebound.
Ukraine had the chance to regain a two-goal lead through a penalty in the 82nd minute — taken by Ruslan Malinovskiy and saved by Dimitrievski after a free-kick hit Daniel Avramovski’s arm.
The key moment
Alioski converting North Macedonia’s penalty was a real turning point in the game.
You could tell it gave his team the confidence to put pressure on Ukraine’s defensive line and it didn’t disappoint.
A game that many fans might have assumed to be a stale 90 minutes turned into quite the thriller.
Player of the match
While most go for the goalscorer or assist-maker, I have to go for the man between the sticks Ukraine’s Bushchan.
Granted he was beaten on the second attempt from Alioski’s penalty, but the save of Ademi’s long-range shot could be the save of the tournament so far.
North Macedonia face a tough mountain that is almost impossible to climb. An unlikely win against the Netherlands could put them in contention to be one of the four best-finishing third-placed teams to qualify for the round of 16.
Ideally, Ukraine need to beat Austria to guarantee a spot in the last 16 instead of leaving it down to goal difference to decide their fate.
Key statistic
This is the first European Championship game to see both sides win a penalty (excluding shootouts) since England vs France in 2004.
It is also the first European Championship match to see both sides miss a penalty since 1980.
Ukraine face Austria on June 21 at 5pm BST. And North Macedonia will host the Netherlands in Amsterdam on the same day.
