England – Ukraine. How the blue-yellow qualifiers started: more wins than losses

26 March national team of Ukraine starts the next, 14th qualifying round for a big football tournament. In London at Wembley blue-yellows will play with England. We have already written about the history of the confrontation between England and Ukraine. Now let’s remember how the blue-yellows earlier started qualifying tournaments.

Euro 1996. 09/07/1994. Kyiv. Republican stadium. Ukraine – Lithuania – 0:2

The first official match of the Ukrainian national team and the first high-profile failure. Oleg Bazilevich, the then mentor of the blue-yellows, due to a conflict with Dynamo, released only one player from Kiev in the match – Sergey Kovalets. Yes, and he appeared only after the replacement. In general, the composition of the blue-yellows looked solid, given the presence of Protasov, Maksimov, Skrypnik, Yevtushka, Petrov. But alas, the pancake came out lumpy, after the match Bazilevich was fired, and the national team finished the selection in fourth place, letting not only Italy and Croatia go ahead, but also Lithuania.

World Cup 1998. 08/31/1996. Belfast. Windsor Park. Northern Ireland – Ukraine – 0:1

Much better for the blue-yellows was the qualifying tournament for the 1998 World Cup and its first match. Ukraine, under the leadership of Sabo and Buryak (formally, Dynamo’s mentor was the main one), beat Northern Ireland on the road, thanks to a goal by Sergei Rebrov. And in their group, the blue-yellows finished second, following Germany and ahead of Portugal, eventually reaching the playoffs. Alas, it was not possible to pass Croatia there.

Euro 2020. 09/05/1998. Kyiv. NSC Olympic. Ukraine – Russia – 3: 2

One of the most memorable matches in the history of the Ukrainian national team. In the first qualifying match, the blue-and-yellow houses beat Russia 3-2, thanks to goals from Popov, Skachenko and Rebrov. The victory is also important because Russia, having “taken” the legacy of the USSR from Ukraine and lured away a lot of players, was then quoted above our team. As a result, Ukraine took second place in the group, after France, and got into the playoffs against Slovenia, which they lost due to a series of ridiculous mistakes and accidents.

World Cup 2002. 09/02/2000. Kyiv. NSC Olympic. Ukraine – Poland -1:3

The next selection, which the Ukrainian team held under the slogan “Our meta – 2002”, the blue-yellows began under the leadership of Valery Lobanovsky. They started extremely unsuccessfully – the defeat in Kyiv 1:3, remembered by the phenomenal game of the naturalized Pole Olisadebe and the uncertain actions of Kernozenko. But still managed to save the situation: the second place in the group, after Poland, and the playoffs with Germany. There were no chances: after 1:1 at home, a rout in Dortmund followed – 1:4.

Euro 2004. 07.09.2022. Yerevan. Republican stadium. Armenia – Ukraine – 2: 2

After failing to qualify for the 2002 World Cup and due to worsening health problems, Valery Lobanovsky left the national team. The team was headed by Leonid Buryak – already independently and fully. He failed to start with a victory, and he had a draw in Yerevan with Armenia. The selection itself was one of the worst in the history of the national team: 10 points scored in eight matches, third place in the group, seven points behind the second position.

World Cup 2006. 09/04/2004. Copenhagen. Parkin Stadium. Denmark – Ukraine – 1:1

Another legend of Ukrainian football, Oleg Blokhin, was called to correct the situation. For 15 years, this qualifying tournament was considered the brightest in the history of the national team – a confident victory in the group, the first entry into a major tournament and immediately directly. Although Blokhin did not start with a victory either, having drawn with Denmark away. Although, it is unlikely that such a result in the first match can be regarded as a failure.

Euro 2008. 09/06/2006. Kyiv. NSC Olympic. Ukraine – Georgia – 3:2

After the success at the World Cup in Germany, the Ukrainian national team was expected to continue the holiday in the selection for Euro 2008. Although we got an incredible group: the finalists of the 2006 Mundil France and Italy, as well as strong Scotland. Lithuania, the Faroe Islands and Georgia were not considered serious contenders. But the start of the selection turned out to be difficult, and the victory over Georgia was not easy (Rusol scored the decisive goal in the 80th minute). In the end, the selection was a failure: Ukraine finished fourth, seven points behind third-placed Scotland. As a result, Oleg Blokhin left the national team, accepting the offer of FC Moscow.

World Cup 2010. 09/06/2008. Lvov. Stadium Ukraine. Ukraine – Belarus – 1:0

Oleksiy Mikhailichenko was supposed to bring the Ukrainian national team to the 2010 World Cup. The group of blue-yellows turned out to be quite difficult – England, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra. It was in this selection that the only victory over England in the history of the blue-and-yellows happened, and it ended with reaching the playoffs and a hard to explain, but very painful loss on aggregate to Greece. But it will be later, and the blue-yellows started the tournament with a difficult, but very important victory over Belarus in Lvoe.

World Cup 2014. 09/11/2012. London. Wembley. England – Ukraine – 1:1

Blokhin returned to the national team for Euro 2012, the blue-and-yellows did not leave the group at the home tournament, and the selection began with a draw with Konoplyanka’s miracle goal at Wembley. But then Blokhin went to Dynamo, the team was led by Bal, and then Zavarov, but Fomenko completed the selection, who issued an impressive unbeaten streak and finished in second place. And then the playoffs happened, one of the best matches in the history of Ukraine (home against France) and the loss to the Tricolor with the loss of a ticket to the World Cup in the away match.

Euro 2016.08.09.2014. Kyiv. NSC Olympic. Ukraine – Slovakia – 0:1

It is logical that Fomenko continued to lead the national team in the selection for Euro 2016. But the specialist started unsuccessfully – a home defeat against Slovakia with a canceled goal by Pyatov in the last minutes of the meeting. As a result, third place in the group – after the same Slovakia and Spain, reaching the playoffs, where there was a victory over Slovenia and reaching the final part of the European Championship.

World Cup 2018. 09/05/2016. Kyiv. NSC Olympic. Ukraine – Iceland – 1:1

At the Euro, the team performed unsuccessfully, even then Andrey Shevchenko appeared in the coaching staff of the team, who replaced Fomenko at the helm of the national team after the European Championship. The group of Ukraine turned out to be furious – with Turkey, Croatia and Iceland. The match with the last, which became the opening of the Euro, in Kyiv, the blue-yellows began the selection. They didn’t win, but they didn’t lose either. But the selection failed: the third place in the group after Iceland and Croatia.

Euro 2020. 03/22/2019. Lisbon. Yes Lush. Portugal – Ukraine – 0:0

But Shevchenko remained at the helm of the national team, and in the selection for the Euro, the blue-yellows received Portugal, Serbia, Luxembourg and Lithuania as opponents. This tournament is by far the most successful in the history of Ukraine. Not a single defeat, six wins in eight matches and first place in the group. It all started with a goalless draw in Lisbon against Ronaldo & Co.

World Cup 2022. 03/24/2021. Paris. Stade de France. France – Ukraine – 1:1

Due to covid and the League of Nations, the selection for the 2022 World Cup for the Ukrainian team had to start even before Euro 2020. Shevchenko started it, under whose leadership the blue-yellows, five months before the start of the qualifying tournament, which fell to start with a match with France, lost to the same French in a friendly match – 1:7. Everything turned out better in the official one – a 1-1 draw, with goals from Shaparenko and Martial (in that order). But Shevchenko’s contract was not extended in the end, Petrakov ended the selection, who managed to finish in second place and get into the playoffs. What happened next, everyone knows.

Total

The Ukrainian national team starts its 14th qualifying tournament. Of the 13 previous ones, only three were successful. In 13 starting qualifying matches played, the blue-yellows got four wins, six draws and three defeats. The goal difference is 14:16. The last time Ukraine started the selection with a victory 14.5 years ago – in the 2010 World Cup qualification. With defeat – 8.5 years ago: in the selection for Euro 2016.