At 19:00 on the LRT channel in Group C, the first match of the second round took place. The Ukrainian national team met with the Northern Ireland eleven at the "Stade des Lumieres" stadium.
The Ukrainians, expected to be the favorites, failed to delight their fans with a victory in the rainy match and suffered a 2-0 defeat. Northern Ireland secured a crucial victory, while the Ukrainians significantly complicated their chances of advancing to the quarter-finals.
Starting lineups:
Ukraine: Pyatov, Fedetskiy, Rakitskiy, Shevchuk, Khacheridi, Stepanenko, Sydorchuk, Yarmolenko, Kovalenko, Konoplyanka, Seleznyov.
Northern Ireland: McGovern, Hughes, Cathcart, McAuley, J. Evans, S. Davis, Norwood, C. Evans, Dallas, Ward, Washington.
The match was lively from the first minute. Initially, threatening attacks towards the Ukrainian goal were made by Northern Ireland players, but later the game evened out and the Ukrainians took control of the ball.
From the start of the match in Lyon, rain poured down, making it difficult for the teams to build attacks. In the first 25 minutes, there were no dangerous chances created.
During the attacks, Northern Ireland players looked slightly sharper, but they failed to finish one with a goal. In the 34th minute, Craig Cathcart came the closest to scoring when his header skimmed just past the goal.
There were no further significant chances created during the rest of the first half. Northern Ireland players were much more active and sharper. Ukraine tried to launch quick attacks, but they were unable to do anything dangerous towards the goal.
The second half started again with active play from Northern Ireland players. In the 49th minute, the spectators finally saw the first goal - Gareth McAuley headed the ball into the opponent's goal following a corner kick.
However, after conceding the goal, the Ukrainians had a chance to equalize during the next attack, but the opposition goalkeeper reacted well to striker Yevhen Seleznyov's header.
In the 58th minute, an interesting situation occurred. The referee stopped the match due to a scuffle, and the players moved towards the sidelines. However, the break did not last long - the players returned to the field after a few moments and continued the match.
In the 70th minute, the Ukrainian national team had one opportunity from few. Viktor Kovalenko took an undefended shot from about 20 meters, but the ball flew wide of the goal.
The remaining time belonged to the Ukrainian team. Led by Mykhaylo Fomenko, the Ukrainians dominated possession but had nothing to answer to the solid Northern Ireland defense. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Andriy Yarmolenko were the authors of several good chances.
After long attempts, in the very end of extra time, the first to reach the loose ball, Niall McGinn, scored the second goal with a precise shot, sealing the final outcome of this match.
Result:
Ukraine 0 - 2 Northern Ireland
49' [0 - 1] G. McAuley
90' [0 - 2] N. McGinn
The best player of the match was recognized as Northern Ireland's defender, Gareth McAuley.
Main match statistics:
#UKR 0-2 #NIR FT:
Shots: 15-12
Pass accuracy: 83%-58%
Chances created: 8-8
Possession: 63%-37%
Strong finish. pic.twitter.com/c1oOknFWk3
Group C Table:
| Place | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
| 2 | Northern Ireland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:1 | 3 |
| 3 | Poland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
| 4 | Ukraine | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0:2 | 0 |
