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Is Euro 2020 going to be a tournament where experience wins out? Andriy Yarmolenko (31) and Goran Pandev (37) both impressed today, with Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo predictably pivotal for Wales and Portugal. As for Sweden, 36-year-old Seb Larsson stood out against Spain:
That is Ukraine’s first Euros win since 2012, when Shevchenko himself scored the winning goals. It means they join the Netherlands and Austria on three points, albeit with an inferior goal difference. As for North Macedonia, they will be elimated unless Austria win later today.
Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko shows the fans how much the win means to him. Photograph: Marko Đurica/Pool/Reuters
“A week ago I would probably not have been able to pick more than two North Macedonian players out of a police lineup,” writes Kári Tulinius. Now I find myself rooted to the screen, cheering when the goalkeeper saves a penalty. Nothing like a major tournament to get emotionally involved to an unhealthy degree.”
A punt upfield lands at Pandev’s feet but from 30 yards out, his shot dribbles wide. Time’s up! Ukraine were on the ropes, but they have held on.
93 mins: Oooooof, Ukraine look so nervous, losing the ball in midfield and allowing North Macedonia to break. Trajkovski approaches the corner of the area, but his cross-shot flies wide of the far post. The cross may have been a better option ...
92 mins: Two of the allotted four minutes are up. Avramovski’s header from almost the edge of the area drifts wide ...
90 mins: The ball is swung in dangerously, but Avramovski is penalised for a foul. Malinovskyi, who was terrific until the penalty miss, goes off with teenage defender Eduard Sobol on.
89 mins: Pandev and Elmas combine before finding Ristovski, who wins a corner in front of their red and gold wall of fans ...
87 mins: Ukraine have rather allowed North Macedonia the chance to get a draw here. Can they do it? The clock’s ticking ...
85 mins: The offender in the wall was Avramovski, who had only just come on. When I say it was harsh, he was protecting himself, not trying to gain an advantage. But rules are rules.
Another change for North Macedonia, with Trickovski coming on for Ademi.
A fine save from Stole Dimitrievski, who dives to his right to deny Malinovskyi! That means of the five penalties awarded so far at Euro 2020, only one has been scored (not counting Alioski’s rebound). Obviously, it was Ronaldo.
A Macedonian hand – I’m not sure whose – blocked the ball as the wall jumped. It’s one of those that feels harsh, but his hands were high. Malinovskyi will take the spot kick ... SAVED!
Referee Fernando Andres Rapallini checks the VAR screen before awarding Ukraine a penalty for handball. Photograph: Alex Caparros/UEFA/Getty Images
Ruslan Malinovskyi of Ukraine hits the penalty to his left ... Photograph: Vadim Ghirda - Pool/Getty Images
But North Macedonia’s keeper Stole Dimitrievski guesses right and saves the spot kick. Photograph: Mihai Barbu/Pool/Reuters
81 mins: There could be a Ukraine penalty here, with the referee checking the monitor for a potential handball ... and it’s given!
80 mins: Tsygankov does the necessary, chugging upfield and winning a free kick. It’s a rare poor delivery from Malinovskyi, clipping the top of the wall. Ah, hang on ...
78 mins: Another Ukraine change, with Serhiy Sydorchuk replacing Mykola Shaparenko. That looks defensive, but Sydorchuk has scored against North Macedonia before, in a Euro 2016 qualifier.
75 mins: Left-back Mykolenko has to get across and stop Ristovski from whipping in another cross. Enis Bardhi is going off, replaced by Daniel Avramovski, who plays his football in Turkey with Kayserispor.
73 mins: Those defensive jitters creep back in for North Macedonia, with Malinovskyi’s chip picking out Tsygankov in acres of space. His unnecessarily rushed shot is well wide of the far post – he really should have hit the target.
71 mins: Shevchenko makes a slightly surprising double change, with both scoring forwards – Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk – coming off. They are replaced by a Dynamo Kyiv duo, with winger Viktor Tsygankov and forward Artem Besedin on.
69 mins: North Macedonia come again, and a lovely, intricate passing move almost creates space for Elmas to get a shot away. They’re pushing for that equaliser ...
68 mins: Trajkovski is given far too long to line up his shot, a dipping effort that Bushchan has to palm behind. Alioski’s corner is collected by the Ukraine keeper.
“I take your point on Bushchan, but I thought it was a tremendous reaction from Alioski to react to the rebound and steer it into the net,” says Matt Burtz. “That seemed like an easy situation to catch it wrong and shin it miles over the bar.” Agreed, it was a great finish under pressure.
64 mins: Time for Ukraine to try and reassert their authority. Malinovskyi kickstarts a passing move and then takes matters into his own hands with a fierce shot that stings the keepers’ palms.
“North Macedonia are proving to be a tougher opponent than most predicted,” notes Mary Waltz. “The odds against advancing out the group stage are massive but they are proving to be anything but a creampuff to be steamrolled.”
A steamrolled creampuff? Is that one of Heston’s recipes?
60 mins: It goes without saying, but this second half has been much better from North Macedonia. Stefan Ristovski, now playing at right-back, gets upfield and swings in a cross that is headed away.
58 mins: Perhaps I’m being harsh, but could Bushchan have avoided pushing the ball straight back down the middle? He had done the hard part by going the right way. It was similar to the parry that allowed Gini Wijnaldum to score in their first game.
It’s Ezgjan Alioski who will take it ... but the keeper goes the right way and saves! No matter, Alioski is on hand to turn the rebound back into the net. It’s back on!
Ukraine’s Georgi Bushchan saves a penalty taken by North Macedonia’s Ezgjan Alioski ... Photograph: Mihai Barbu/Reuters
But Alioski acrobatically sticks the rebound into the net. Photograph: Vadim Ghirdă/EPA
Stefan Ristovski gestures to the North Macedonia fans as the players rush to get back on with the game. Photograph: Robert Ghement/EPA
The North Macedonia fans celebrate their goal. Photograph: Robert Ghement/Pool/Reuters
Well, then. It’s played short and Bardhi thumps a shot towards the top corner. Bushschan somehow tips it on to the bar, but from the rebound Pandev is brought down!
North Macedonia’s Goran Pandev (on ground) reacts after being fouled by Oleksandr Karavaev resulting in a penalty. Photograph: Marko Đurica/Pool/Reuters
54 mins: Elmas shoots from distance, and it’s deflected behind. North Macedonia corner ...
51 mins: Alioski concedes a free kick out on that left flank, and Malinovskyi lines it up. Rather than cross, he whips a shot towards the far corner! Dimitrievski springs to his right to save it acrobatically. From the corner, centre-back Illia Zabarnyi can’t get enough power on his header.
49 mins: North Macedonia have switched to a back four, with Alioski at left-back. He struggled to offer much in attack or defence in the first half.
47 mins: The changes almost pay off straight away as Arijan Ademi bursts into space from Pandev’s pass, but Bushchan gets down well to turn his shot behind.
46 mins: Igor Angelovski has made two changes after that sobering first-half display. Right wing-back Nikolov and midfielder Spirovski go off, replaced by Darko Churlinov and forward Aleks Trajkovski.
Here we go again ...
A bit of news from elsewhere, from Andy Hunter:
Kingsley Coman has left the France squad ahead of Saturday’s Group F match against Hungary to attend the birth of his child. The Bayern Munich winger was given permission to return home on Thursday by manager Didier Deschamps. A statement from the French Football Federation confirmed: “After consultation with UEFA and the UEFA Covid cell, Didier Deschamps and the Federation authorized Kingsley Coman to join his partner and attend the birth of his child. All precautions have been taken, particularly in terms of health.”
Half-time clicking
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Ukraine well on their way to victory, with a goal apiece for forwards Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk. North Macedonia have had their moments but look a little outmatched; it will be some effort to come back and get a result from here.
45 mins: One added minute at the end of a very enjoyable first half.
42 mins: Rapallini, loaned in from South America, makes an impact in Europe with a quality bit of refereeing. Mykola Shaparenko goes down dramatically in the area but the defender, Darko Velkovski, clearly stepped back and avoided contact, and Shaparenko is booked for diving.
39 mins: Ukraine surge forward again, with Karavaev going down under Alioski’s challenge in the area. Play is waved on, and Karavaev gets up to hit a snap shot, which Velkovski almost deflects past his own keeper.
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