Mission accomplished: The Ukrainian national soccer team has brought the hoped-for ray of hope to their war-torn country.
National coach Serhij Rebrow’s team deservedly won the play-off final against Iceland 2-1 (0-1) and qualified for the European Championships in Germany.
Playoffs, final arrow right
Albert Gudmundsson gave Iceland the lead (30th) at the Miejski Stadium in Wroclaw, Poland, where the game took place because of the Russian war of aggression. But the superior Ukraine showed morale in front of 40,000 spectators. Viktor Zygankow (54th) equalized, Chelsea star Mychajlo Mudryk scored the celebrated winning goal (84th).
Ukraine will start their fourth European Championship participation on June 17th against Romania in Munich. There will also be games against Belgium and Slovakia in Group E. Iceland, on the other hand, missed its third major tournament.
“To convey positivity to the people of Ukraine”
Rebrow had already emphasized the great importance before the game: “I hope that our team can convey something positive to the people of Ukraine.” The mission is “to show that we are still alive, that we are still fighting against the Russians, that we still need support from Europe.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyj thanked the national team: “Thank you, guys!! Thank you, team!” Zelenskyj wrote on Telegram on Tuesday evening.
Ukraine beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 in the semi-finals. Iceland beat Israel 4-1.
Georgia qualifies for a European Football Championship for the first time
In the playoff final on Tuesday (March 26, 2024), the Georgians secured one of the last three tickets for the summer finals in Germany with a shock win against Greece.
Former Bayern professional Willy Sagnol’s team beat the Greeks 4-2 on penalties. The score had previously been 0-0 after regular time and extra time.
Two reds on the touchline
At the European Championships, the Georgians will now face Portugal, the Czech Republic and Turkey in the group stage. In an extremely weak game, there were hardly any highlights to see for the spectators in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. Georgia’s superstar Khwitscha Kvarazchelia could hardly be staged either.
Things only got heated once before the penalty shootout, when the referee suddenly handed out two red cards at halftime: one to Georgia’s substitute keeper Giorgi Loria and one to a Greek player who was probably not even in the squad. There had previously been an argument on the sidelines.
Lewandowski prevails with Poland
The Poles secured the last ticket late on Tuesday evening, with Robert Lewandowski fulfilling his wish from the European Championships in Germany. FC Barcelona’s top scorer helped Poland win the play-off final in Wales 5-4 in a dramatic penalty shootout. After 120 minutes the score was 0-0.
The Bialo-Czerwoni (White-Reds) secured their fifth European Championship participation in a row. Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny became a celebrated hero in front of 33,000 spectators at the Cardiff City Stadium. He saved Daniel James’ final penalty.
Now against the Netherlands, Austria and France
Captain Lewandowski was the first player to convert ice-coldly. The Poles start the tournament on June 16th in Hamburg against the Netherlands. Austria and France are also waiting in Group D. Wales missed the third major tournament in a row after EURO 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.