Ukraine Battle To Vital Victory To Clinch Playoff Place

 Ukraine entered the contest two points adrift of Finland in the playoffs, and the visitors knew that only a win would do, while a favour from France was also required. 

In the opening 20 minutes, Ukraine were restricted to efforts from distance, with Ruslan Malinovskyi and Oleksandr Zinchenko seeing their ambitious efforts fly wide.

 The visitors continued to show great attacking intent, with Roman Yaremchuk drawing a smart save from Nikola Vasilj, but Bosnia and Herzegovina were offering stubborn resistance.

 Ukraine were given a warning shot before the break, when Dennis Hadžikadunić’s powerful header forced Heorhiy Bushchan into a superb save, with the goalkeeper pushing the ball onto the post. 

 It was perhaps unsurprising that the game remained goalless at HT, given the fact that six of Ukraine’s seven World Cup Qualifiers have ended all square.

 However, Ukraine couldn’t afford a draw if they wanted to keep their hopes of reaching the World Cup finals alive, and they upped their intensity in the second half. 

In the 57th minute, the opener arrived, when Zinchenko latched onto a loose ball in the six-yard box, and the Manchester City man placed the ball into the empty net. 

 The visitor’s evening was made even sweeter, when news came through of France’s opener against Finland. 

However, there would have been a few nerves in the Ukrainian camp, when Smail Prevljak attempted a spectacular overhead kick, but Bushchan was equal to the effort, tipping the ball over the bar. 

Those nerves were quashed moments later, when Artem Dovbyk kept his composure to complete a rapid counter attack, and ensure Ukraine book their place in the playoffs.