54
22:12
So far, the game has been quite deadlocked in the second round. The Bleuets are yet to respond as Ukraine are now very solid defensively and are not shy about going hard when it’s necessary.
51.
22:09
Yellow card for Dmytro Kryskiv (Ukraine)
It gets a little rough. Kryskiv kicks Thuram down in a rustic manner, which also earns him the first yellow card of the encounter.
48
22:06
Arseniy Batagov clears Enzo Le Fée but Rayan Cherki’s free-kick from the right wing fails to find a foot in Ukraine’s penalty area.
46
22:03
The teams are back on the field. There is no change. Let’s continue with the second 45 minutes.
46
22:03
Kick-off 2nd half
45+3
21:49
Mid-term conclusion:
France are 2-1 down against Ukraine at half-time, which is a slightly flattering result given the course of the game. The French always had very passive and static phases in their game, but defensively they were good for long stretches and scored several pinpricks in the game. The logical consequence was Cherki’s lead (19′), which Ukraine equalized with a penalty after a foul on Mudryk (32′). It was Mudryk who initiated Sudakov’s second goal with a dream pass shortly before the break when the Bleuets’ defense switched off a bit too early (44′). With two shots, the yellow-blue scored two goals and would have been in the semi-finals given the current standings.
45+3
21:48
End of 1st half
45
21:46
Official injury time (minutes): 2
44
21:44
Tooor for Ukraine, 1:2 by Georgiy Sudakov
With a sensational pass over 50 meters, Mykhaylo Mudryk finds Georgiy Sudakov, who starts at the right moment, who takes the ball, easily curves around Lucas Chevalier and only has to insert it into the empty goal. The defensive of the Bleuets can be duped almost amateurishly and is obviously already mentally in the dressing room.
40
21:41
The Bleuets are now increasing the pressure again. Cherki sends Barcola, who puts the ball across from the baseline. However, there was no player who could use the leather in the center. The Ukrainian defense can clarify accordingly.
38
21:39
Barcola makes a high diagonal ball, but then doesn’t really have a pass station. From the left corner of the penalty area, he simply takes a direct shot. At first it looks as if the ball clearly misses, but then develops a lot of spin and still turns on the inside post. From there, however, the leather rebounds back into the field. Lucky for Ukraine.
35
21:36
Cherki uses his bag of tricks on the right wing several times. The whole chop, tip, one, two, three is nice to look at, but it doesn’t really add anything.
32
21:32
Tooor for Ukraine, 1:1 by Georgiy Sudakov
Georgiy Sudakov takes responsibility for the penalty kick, which is confirmed by the VAR after a short check. He looks out for Chevalier klub and slides in on the bottom left for a 1-1 equalizer as the French goalkeeper moves to the right. Everything open again in this quarterfinal.
30
21:31
Penalty for Ukraine! Mykhaylo Mudryk steps on the accelerator and just goes one-on-one. Pierre Kalulu extends his foot and hits the Chelsea player in the knee. The referee immediately points to the point.
29
21:29
Oleksiy Sych is picking up speed on the right wing, but all passing stations are blocked and the center is condensed. Ukraine must call off the attack. Defensively, it has been a very convincing performance by the youngsters of the Équipe Tricolore.
26
21:26
A deflected ball lands on Gouiri, who tries to play over Trubin, who is a little too far in front of the box, with an arc lamp from six meters. However, the Ukrainian keeper gets his fingertips extended and deflects the leather over the bar. The following corner then brings nothing further.
23
21:24
More or less out of nowhere, the yellow-blue score the equalizer, but immediately the flag goes up on the sidelines. Mykhaylo Mudryk shoots from the edge of the box but misses the ball, which happily lands at Dmytro Kryskiv. However, his hit from six meters is then not given.
22
21:22
Of course, the goal plays into the hands of the Espoirs, who are still very low when the Ukrainians have possession of the ball and can now be lurking for opportunities to come into the transition game.
19
21:19
Tooor for France, 1-0 by Rayan Cherki
With a strong attack, the Bleues now take the lead. Le Fée plays an absolute sugar pass into Barcola’s run, which in turn sees Cherki moving up. He could do it directly from 13 meters, but decelerates cleverly and then puts the ball on his left foot. Dry he sinks the ball from eleven meters in the lower right corner. Nothing to do for Trubin.
17
21:17
Le Fée is back and France can take the free-kick that was due, which Cherki chases well past the Ukrainian goal from 23 meters out. No danger.
15
21:16
Maksym Taloverov clears Enzo Le Fée seven meters from his own penalty area with his leg stretched out. The Bleuets player is injured and needs treatment on the field. Taloverov, meanwhile, is lucky not to see the first yellow card of the game for this rustic attack.
12.
21:13
The next pass to Barcola works, but the Olympique Lyon attacker cannot control the ball. Sych is there and takes the ball from Barcola.
11.
21:12
Rayan Cherki has some space on the right wing, but the cross into the Ukrainian penalty area is far too imprecise and comes straight to Maksym Taloverov, who resolutely clears with a header.
9.
21:10
France are very deep, which makes it difficult for Ukraine to make progress in the game. Georgiy Sudakov can fix the ball in the middle and could send Oleksiy Sych into the interface with a pass. However, he overpowers the pass so that his teammate only reaches the ball just before the baseline. On the subsequent flank, the French box is again too well occupied for anything to burn.
6.
21:07
The first chance of the game belongs to the Bleuets. Barcola is through to the Gouiri Pass, but then has to do it directly from a very acute angle. With a right-footed shot from six yards, Trubin gets his legs together in time. The follow-up shot from Cherki then comes too centrally to the Ukrainian goalkeeper, who grabs it safely.
4.
21:05
Bradley Barcola pulls out the first corner with a push on the right. Amine Gouiri takes a short lead to Maxence Caqueret, but his cross is cleared off the far post by Oleksiy Sych. The following corner then fizzles out because Rayan Cherki’s cross is too imprecise.
1.
21:01
The ball rolls in the Cluj Arena. The French compete in their blue shirts over white shorts. The Ukraine U21s are dressed all in yellow. Here we go.
20:35
The Under-21 national teams of France and Ukraine have met in eight international matches so far and the Bleuets have won three times and half of all meetings have ended in a draw. In the last meeting so far a year ago, the qualification for the U21 European Championships was hot between the two teams. After Ukraine was already 1:3 behind after 25 minutes, the Yellow-Blues reported impressively back and forced a 3:3 in the end.
20:25
After back-to-back victories against Croatia and hosts Romania, Ukraine were safely through to the quarter-finals before their final group game against Spain. All the more respectable was the 2:2 draw that the yellow-blues took from the Spaniards despite strong rotation. Coach Ruslan Rotan returns to his best eleven today and makes nine changes. Only Kostiantyn Vivcharenko and Dmytro Kryskiv are back on the pitch from the start.
20:19
The Ukrainian U21 national football team is currently taking part in a U21 European Championship for the third time in history. After the yellow-blues reached the final on their debut in 2006, which they lost 3-0 against the Netherlands, 2011 was the final stop in the preliminary round. This time, Ukraine finished second in Group B behind Spain with seven points from a possible nine to qualify for the knockout rounds again.
20:13
In the last group game, the Bleuets celebrated a 4-1 victory over Switzerland on Wednesday evening. Coach Sylvain Ripoll does not see much need for action compared to this game, but has to react to the serious injury to Gladbach’s Mano Koné. There are two changes in the U21s of the Équipe Tricolore: Enzo Le Fée and Mohamed Simakan are preferred to Loïc Badé (bench) and Manu Koné (knee injury).
20:07
In just one of the last eight European U21 Championships has France progressed beyond the quarter-finals. This year, however, the Bleuets marched very confidently through the preliminary round with three wins from three group games with 7:2 goals and thus secured the group victory. All in all, “Les Espoirs” (in English: the hopes) have only lost one of their last 19 international matches (13 wins, five draws).
20:00
Good evening and welcome from the Cluj Arena. Here, at 9:00 p.m., the U21 national football teams of France and Ukraine will face each other in the final quarter-finals of the U21 European Championship 2023.