Thank you very much for joining me.
Here is Jonathan Wilson’s report from Dusseldorf.
A nice bit of lightning going off in the background in Berlin. The weather has looked awful for most of the tournament.
Rebrov: “I am very glad for the players. Today we conceded the goal and had a very good reaction. It was a good emotion for our nation.
“Most important today we showed spirit. In tournaments, you can win and lose but it is important how you go about it.”
You want more soccer? Join Barry Glendenning for Poland v Austria.
Comebacks galore.
4 – Ukraine’s win against Slovakia was the fourth instance of a team coming from behind to win a match at Euro 2024, already the same number of comeback victories as in the whole of Euro 2020. Comeback. #SVKUKR #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/uG56Qny6zS
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) June 21, 2024
The Ukrainian players look very emotional after securing victory. The fans are loving it too. They still have Belgium to come in their final match, so they face a tricky task of qualifying still.
Fair play to Ukraine, they were really poor again in the first half in Dusseldorf but they managed to turn it around and were dominant from the moment they netted the equaliser.
Full time: Slovakia 1-2 Ukraine
Very much a game of two halves. It looked like Slovakia were going to cruise to victory before Ukraine were resurgent after the break and deserve their comeback triumph.
Updated
90+4 mins: Slovakia are playing it long but do not seem to have anyone who can compete with the Ukraine defence in the air. Ukraine are running down the clock when they gain possession.
90+2 mins: All 11 Ukrainians are behind the ball. They are doing their best to keep Slovakia at bay. Zinchenko, however, gives away a corner on the right. Ukraine send on Talovierov, who is massive, to add height to the defence.
The corner is whipped into the box and Vavro looks set to smash the bouncing ball into the net from 15 yards but completely misskicks it.
90 mins: Corner to Slovakia on the left. It is flicked on at the near post but no one is waiting at the back to provide a finish.
Five minutes added.
88 mins: Ukraine are doing their best to slow things down here. Trying to break up play.
87 mins: Slovakia bring on 18-year-old Leo Sauer. If me levels he will makes the Slovakians feel like dancing.
86 mins: Kucka takes one of the worst free-kicks in history. Whacking the ball almost out of the stadium from 30 yards.
Mudryk and Brazhko off, Malinovskyi and Sydorchuk on. Ukraine looking to shut up shop.
84 mins: Can Slovakia get back into this? They look a touch tired.
They are helped by Yaremchuk sliding in on Škriniar to give away a free-kick and earn a booking.
Craig Russell emails: “Can you just give a brief mention to the fact that Slovakia are actually at least 0.5 former champions, having been half of the team that won in 1976. Unless you have already done so …”
I have not.
82 mins: If the result stays the same here, this group could have each team with a victory after two matches. Belgium face Romania tomorrow.
GOAL! The ball goes over the top from Shaparenko to Yaremchuk who takes a deft touch in the the box and then jabs beyond Dubravka to give Ukraine the lead.
GOAL! Slovakia 1-2 Ukraine (Yaremchuk, 80)
What a fine finish!
Updated
78 mins: Suslov goes down in his own box after a challenge from Shaparenko. I am not sure he should need medical attention but maybe Slovakia are keen to waste time.
76 mins: Mudryk is up and about. Ukraine will need him if they want to win this.
74 mins: Suslov breaks up the left and the ball eventually is played out to the right. Pekarík cuts in and takes aim from distance but his shot is blocked before it reaches the box.
Ukraine break but the pass to Mudryk is a poor one, he does his best to produce a shot that hits the base of the post but the angle is against him. He goes down with what seems to be a calf issue. Maybe he just needs a rest.
71 mins: Slovakia have dropped off a lot since the break. Are they tiring after a energy-sapping match and a half?
69 mins: Mudryk wins Ukraine a corner on the left. The Chelsea man goes over to take it but Slovakia have no trouble clearing their lines.
67 mins: Not a clue why Hancko is still on, even his teammates are telling the coach to take the limping left-back off.
Finally, the change comes. Ukraine make changes, too. Yarmolenko and Dovbyk off, Yaremchuk and Zubkov on. Hancko and Haraslin are off, Suslov and Obert on.
65 mins: Hancko is back on with a lot of strapping, so much so it seems to have gone up his bum, making him even more uncomfortable. He is just hobbling around. They need to make a change.
Oliver is on the sidelines having a chat with a suit. Not sure why …
64 mins: Hancko pulls up with a groin injury. The physio seems to think he can run it off, which seems weird because it is a muscle problem. No amount of strapping is going to keep is groin in place.
62 mins: Ukraine have a corner on the right. Zinchenko wanders over to take it, demanding an uplift in noise from the fans. The corner comes to nothing.
60 mins: Ukraine are on top for the first time in the match. They have plenty of players in the final third and are looking for a second.
Double change for Slovakia: Duda and Boženík off, Strelec and Benes on.
58 mins: Shaparenko has taken a blow to the face and has a chat with Oliver about it but no medical attention is required.
56 mins: Ukraine have upped everything in the last few minutes and the fans are getting behind them. Slovakia need to calm things down.
GOAL! Slovakia give the ball away in the Ukraine half, allowing Mudryk to break. The ball makes its way out to Zinchenko on the left, allowing him to pick out Shaparenko who steers into the corner from 12 yards.
GOAL! Slovakia 1-1 Ukraine (Shaparenko, 54)
Almost from nothing, Ukraine are level.
Updated
52 mins: Mudryk gets down the left and chips a cross towards the six-yard box but it is a touch behind Dovbyk whose header basically goes backwards.
50 mins: It is all Slovakia in this half. I suspect a second goal would kill this off.
48 mins: The two men are back up and running without lasting damage. Slovakia are starting brightly once again.
46 mins: The ball is sent upfield from kick off and there is a clash of heads between Zinchenko and Pekarik. The medics are on.
Second half
Here we go again!
Half-time reading.
Half time: Slovakia 1-0 Ukraine
Schranz has scored the only goal of the match to give Slovakia a much-deserved lead. Saying that, Ukraine are certainly not out of this.
45 mins: One minute added on.
44 mins: Zinchenko stands over the free-kick. He aims for the near post but Dubravka does well to fist it away.
Down the other end … Haraslin cuts in from the right and takes aim; the shot takes a deflection and Trubin does well to palm wide.
42 mins: Yarmolenko takes a tumble on the right wing but it looks like a bit of a dive for me. Oliver still gives him a free-kick in a dangerous position.
40 mins: I saw Mudryk for Chelsea at Forest a month of so ago and he looked decent but still has problems with his decision-making when in dangerous positions. He scored a fine goal that day from a similar position to where he decided to cross rather than shoot moments ago.
“I watched a well-drilled, energetic Ukraine beat Iceland in a Euro playoff final,” says Kari Tulinius. “What happened to that team? The Ukrainians are playing like a bunch of players who went on a bender last night and woke up to a reminder on their phone telling them they were playing today.”
I was on holiday for the Romania game, so missed that but it sound bad. They are slowing getting into this match, at least.
38 mins: The pace of Mudryk against the high line of Slovakia could be crucial here. He will get a few more openings if his teammates play the right passes.
36 mins: Maybe Ukraine are in this match now. They are looking a little more confident in possession. Mudryk latches onto a long pass over the top and gets in behind the defence. He decides to cross rather than shoot and Slovakia clear the danger.
34 mins: Yarmolenko darts into the box and plays a one-two with Dobvyk, allowing the former West Ham man a chance but he cannot make contact. The ball eventually comes out to Tymchyk who shoots across Dubravka, who tips the ball onto the post.
32 mins: Can Ukraine build on their couple of good moments? They have weathered a relative storm and are still in this match.
Slovakia get a corner on the right despite the ball coming off Kucka. Duda whips it into the box but Oliver sees a foul and blows up.
Updated
30 mins: Ukraine have a couple of corners. The second almost comes to something when Mudryk’s shot is deflected towards Yarmolenko but his outstretched leg can only send the ball wide.
28 mins: Supposedly Slovakia have enjoyed 60% possession thus far but it feels like a lot more. I would not describe it as a contest at the moment.
I say that and then Mudryk slides the ball between two defence to Dobvyk, who twists and turns inside the box only to see his shot blocked by a last-ditch slide.
26 mins: Ukraine are struggling to beat the press and might need some sort of plan B to so.
24 mins: Mudryk gets a cracking chance to run at the Slovakia defence but the finish is beyond woeful, whacking his shot roughly 70 yards over the bar when under no pressure. How odd.
22 mins: The Slovakia fans are loving life in Dusseldorf. They will be confident of topping the group going into the knockout stages at this rate and they are doing it on merit.
20 mins: Ukraine are on the attack but then pass the ball straight out for a throw-in. They really are struggling.
19 mins: Ukraine need to step things up here, that’s for sure.
GOAL! Schranz runs off Zinchenko at the back post and heads a cross back across Trubin into the goal. Poor defending from Ukraine but it did seem inevitable.
Updated
GOAL! Slovakia 1-0 Ukraine (Schranz, 17)
It had be coming.
Updated
17 mins: Hanko lines up the free-kick and forces the goalkeeper into a decent save to his right. Seems like a case of when Slovakia will score rather than if …
16 mins: Slovakia are knocking the ball about well. Lobotka is at the centre of most it. He eventually earns a free-kick on the edge of the box after being pulled back.
14 mins: Tymchyk gets down the right and looks to find Dobvyk in the box but his cross is just behind him. In the end Brazhko does get a chance for Ukraine but his shot from 25 yards is straight at Dubravka.
12 mins: Basically, Slovakia look like quite a decent team and Ukraine do not. Maybe they will grow into the match …
Duda is the latest to take aim but he drags his shot wide from the edge of the box.
10 mins: We are back to Slovakia keeping the ball and they are happy to knock it about without Ukraine knowing how to stop them. Haraslin has the first real chance of the match as he bundles his way through the defence before striking at goal. Trubin blocks the shot and then is forced to produce a brilliant save to prevent Schranz from close range.
Updated
8 mins: “In Dusseldorf where there is a Jozef Venglos flag being waved and lots of Scotsmen. A minute’s silence for Gerhard Aigner but not Donald Sutherland.”
6 mins: Ukraine are getting on the ball a bit now. Tymchyk sends a cross into the box but Slovakia just about deal with it. The attack ends with an offside flag.
4 mins: It is all Slovakia in the early stages. Ukraine, understandably, looking a touch nervous after their opening game defeat. Slovakia might sense a chance to take advantage of those nerves.
2 mins: Slovakia got direct early on to see if they can shake up the Ukrainians in the early stages.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Updated
The players are out. Ukraine’s players each have a national flag tied around their shoulders.
Updated
Slovakia head coach Francesco Calzona spent 15 years as a coffee salesman. This is the sort of backstory we need in this competition.
Busy day for me.
There is some rain around in Dusseldorf. Hopefully the pitch is better than in Frankfurt last night.
The big team news is that Ukraine have made a number of changes, most notably swapping out goalkeeper Andriy Lunin for Benfica’s Anatoliy Trubin. The Real Madrid man had a poor game against Romania and Rebrov felt the need to act.
Starting lineups
Slovakia (4-3-3): Dúbravka; Pekarík, Vavro, Škriniar, Hancko; Kucka, Lobotka, Duda; Schranz, Boženík, Haraslin.
Ukraine (4-3-3): Trubin; Tymchyk, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Zinchenko; Shaparenko, Brazhko, Sudakov; Yarmolenko, Mudryk, Dovbyk.
The exciting news is that Michael Oliver is in charge of proceedings in Dusseldorf. He will be assisted by Stuart Burt and Dan Cook.
Preamble
Hello! Few would have anticipated Slovakia beating Belgium nor Ukraine being brushed aside by Romania. The opening round results make this an extremely important fixture for both. Slovakia could seal progress to the knockout stages with a win, whereas Ukraine need a victory, especially with the Belgians to come, to give them a chance of getting out of the group.
Slovakia have strong foundations with David Hancko and Milan Škriniar at the back, leaving them confident of keeping a clean sheet against most and nicking a goal, as Belgium found out to their cost. If they can match their performance from the start of the week, then they will be optimistic of repeating the result.
Ukraine will be hurting after the humbling but there is plenty of quality available to Serhiy Rebrov. If he manages to get the best out of Georgiy Sudakov and Mykhailo Mudryk, Ukraine will look a very different prospect. The Shakhtar Donetsk man is tipped for a big-money move sooner rather than later, while the Chelsea winger already secured his, showing flashes of what he can do in the Premier League.
It should be an intriguing watch.
Kick-off: 2pm BST
