Ukraine pulled off a stunning comeback to defeat Slovakia 2-1 in Dusseldorf on Friday, June 21st. The match was a tale of two halves, with Slovakia taking the early lead before Ukraine roared back to secure a crucial victory.
Slovakia started the match brightly, with Lukas Haraslin and Ivan Schranz both forcing saves from Ukraine goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
Their persistence paid off in the 17th minute when Haraslin’s cross from the byline found Schranz at the back post, and the striker headed the ball low and hard past Trubin to give Slovakia the advantage.
However, Ukraine refused to be deterred and nearly equalised through Artem Dovbyk, whose effort was blocked by a last-ditch challenge from Peter Pekarík.
Oleksandr Tymchyk also came close, but Martin Dúbravka’s fingertips were enough to push the ball onto the post and preserve Slovakia’s lead at half-time. The first half ended 1-0 in favour of the Slovaks.
However, the second half saw a complete turnaround in momentum, as Ukraine came out with renewed energy and determination.
Their efforts were rewarded in the 53rd minute when Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko played a pass into the middle of the box, where Mykola Shaparenko was waiting to hit a first-time effort past Dubravka and level the score.
Ukraine continued to dominate, and they grabbed the lead with 10 minutes remaining. Shaparenko turned provider this time, flicking the ball into the box for substitute Roman Yaremchuk to tap in under Dubravka and complete the comeback.
Slovakia had no answer to Ukraine’s resilience, and the final whistle saw the jubilant Ukrainian players celebrate a huge victory.
This result has significantly boosted Ukraine’s chances of progressing to the Round of 16. They face Belgium on Wednesday, June 26th, while Slovakia must now avoid defeat against Romania on the same day to give themselves the best opportunity of advancing.
