Spain wonderfully eliminated the Ukrainians from the Eurocup. They scored after passes with the heel and the rabona!
Anatoly Romanov Jul 6, 2023 00:05 UTC Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Five goals in the semifinals: a great performance by the Spanish. But they lost during the match.
The Spanish team became the second finalist of the Eurocopa 2023 youth. “Red Fury” defeated Ukraine in the semifinals. Now, on Saturday July 8, the Spanish will play the final against England.
Even before the game, it was clear that Spain would have more control of the ball and would have a territorial advantage. The rival’s coach Ruslan Rotan was looking for tools with which to stop the favorite. Formally, the Ukrainian national team performed with four defenders, but often the defensive midfielder Brazhko fell fifth in line. In this way, the ‘yellows’ tried to control the width and allow fewer spaces between the defenders. And when the ball was played, the attacking midfielder Sudakov lowered the defenders to relieve the pressure from the first line and better start the attacks.
The Ukrainians opened the account already in the 13th minute. First shot on target! They used Mudrik’s powerful speed and Spain’s weakness on the flanks of the defence. The Chelsea winger rocked Braga’s Víctor Gómez, punched him and made a pass to him. Not so perfect, but thanks to the rebound, the ball reached captain Bondarenko. Tsentrhav ran to the “point” in the opponent’s penalty area and shot accurately. It is curious that in the quarterfinals with France, Rotan’s team scored after all their shots on goal.
The Spaniards received a blow to the teeth, but they showed that they also have the will. We play in four minutes. Gomez corrected the mistake with a good throw over captain Ruiz, and Brazhko himself played extremely unsuccessfully. And he did not catch the Braga striker offside, and he let himself be beaten in the penalty area. Neither goalkeeper Trubin nor defender Taloverov could stop Ruiz either.
Analysis of the failed performance of the German team at Euro 2023:
“We won, the Germans, no, the blacks and the monkeys.” Three reasons why Germany failed in the Euro
In general, Ruiz in this segment picked up some crazy courage. He moved well, hit, made subtle passes. In the middle of the first half, the Spanish team made a beautiful combination between the lines (Brazhko probably wasn’t enough on the right side), and Ruiz helped set up Sunset’s goal with an elegant back-heel pass.
The ‘Atlético’ midfielder from Bilbao has a perfect finish from behind the box. Perhaps the 2:1 score to break reflected the image of the game. Although at the end of the half, Mudryk arranged a great moment for striker Sikan, who replaced the disqualified Kryskiv, but this time the shot on goal did not turn into a goal thanks to a brilliant save by goalkeeper Tenas. And after all, Barça rejected this guy!
At the beginning of the second part, it seemed that the Ukrainians came out onto the field after the break more collected than the Spanish. The “Red Fury” missed a couple of dangerous attacks from Rotan’s team. However, already in the 54th minute, the Spanish team scored the third goal. In this attack, the Spaniards surrounded the carousel at the gates of Trubin, and Ruiz played in the penalty area in an even more unconventional way: he made a pass with a rabona! It turned out, however, incorrectly, but the defender of the Ukrainian national team did not pass the ball well. Blanco midfielder, owned by Real Madrid, jumped from behind Sudakov, grabbed the ball and launched an irresistible shot from 15 meters.
In previous Euro 2023 matches, the Spanish team’s play in positional defense left much to be desired. But with Ukraine, with a score of 3:1, “Red Fury” was quite reliable. Rotan’s team opened up, tried to press when the rivals had the ball, but this time the Spaniards flew in reciprocal attacks. The “Red Fury” put an end to the intrigue in the middle of the second half. The substitute Oros de Osasuna decided the episode. With one touch he handled the ball and with the other he sent it into the net precisely from the penalty line.
It is incredible that now the Spanish team has scored five goals with five shots on goal. Although it’s hard to blame Trubin for the goals conceded. Failed defense, support zone. In the 78th minute, the Ukrainians completely missed a five-on-four counterattack, and Ruiz again provided an assist. But then he didn’t make anything up, he just handed the ball over to Man City’s Sergio Gomez. Both Euro 2023 youth semi-finals ended in important victories (previously England beat Israel 3-0). In addition, in the end, the crossbar saved the Ukrainian team from the sixth Spanish goal.
