In a meeting marked by tension and sportsmanship despite everything that surrounded him, Russia beat Ukraine 2-3 in the first semi-final on Friday of the Eurocup in the Netherlands 2022. In the last minute, goalkeeper Putilov avoided Shoturna’s penalty equalizer.
Therefore, Russia is already waiting in Sunday’s final for the winner of the another semifinal that will be settled by the champion Portugal and the runner-up Spain at 8:00 p.m. also at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam.
The match was very marked by the conflict between both countries with a confrontation that is intensifying and is even acquiring a pre-war climate. Well, sport has once again given a lesson to the political garbage that poisons everything. It was a very sporty semifinal.
Despite the very important absences due to the accumulation of yellow cards by Roman Antoshkin and the nationalized Brazilian Robinho, It only took Russia 76 seconds to get ahead on Sokolov’s shot. who ‘ate’ a goalie like Tsypun at 0-1.
Ukraine suffered from this unexpected blow and had to resort to fouls to stop a rival who was trying with shots from Chiskala, Sokolov and Abramov in a dynamic that led to the fifth foul of ‘Zbirna’ at 9:54 of the break.
Sokolov and Paulinho celebrate the first Russian goal
| UEFAFutsal
Oleksandr Kosenko did not hesitate to resort to the goalkeeper-player immediately and the Russian goalkeeper Putilov took advantage of an indecision to send a long ball that Afanasiev headed the crossbar to score the 0-2 in the rebound.
The Ukrainians were able to receive the third in another error, but they recovered and began to move the ball judiciously but not too quickly as the minutes passed without even hovering around the sixth foul. And in a good attack Siry shot Putilov and established the 1-2 at 4:35 of the break.
This notable improvement was also translated into a powerful shot slightly deflected by Zvarych in the 18th minute and a shot off the outside of the post by Lebid in the last action of the first half. The point is that the semifinal was very much alive without the confrontation between the two countries being seen in anything unsportsmanlike.
Russia enjoyed an excellent chance on the counterattack in the 21st minute on a short pass from Niyazov that shot into the Davidov post from an already steep position. Despite this, the Ukrainians were more comfortable than in the first half with high pressure and occasionally flirted with offensive superiority by overtaking Tsypun.
Lebid, furious after Siryi’s goal
| UEFAFutsal
It was an oasis in a very tactical second half in which the minutes passed as the nerves and pressure took over both teams and canceled the game… until Niyazov scored one of the most beautiful goals of the European Championship by splicing a pass from Nando with a scissors shot. It was 1-3 at 9:59 from the end.
Ukraine resorted to the attack again with five and Nando avoided Zvarych’s goal eight minutes from time and Abramov brushed the 1-4 in an action traced to Niyazov’s great goal. However, what came 2-3 in a shot by Shoturna that Abakshyn masterfully deflected on goal.
With a leisurely and slow pace, the 3-3 was close in a high shot by Shoturna with 3:07 to go. And even more so with a Afanasiev’s clear penalty on Korsun who fatally shot the center Shoturna and putilov cleared with the foots. And in a shot to the clouds of Abakshyn in front of goal 17 seconds from the end. It was the epilogue of a semifinal that ended without greeting between both teams.