The Blue and Yellow had scored three times in the group despite their two defeats before tonight, and when Heorhiy Sudakov made space inside the box for his shot that bobbled wide, they certainly looked confident in front of goal again.
Soon after, a floodlight failure behind one of the goals at Stadion Poznan halted the match, however, the officials deemed it safe to continue after a delay of several minutes. The pause did nothing to hinder Ukraine’s momentum, as they dominated the territory but failed to test goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
That was until the 35th minute, when Serhiy Rebrov’s side took the lead with the match’s first shot on target. Giorgi Kochorashvili got caught in possession in his own half, allowing Sudakov to send Mykhailo Mudryk on a mazy dribble to the edge of the box, where he unleashed a low drive to beat Mamardashvili.
Georgia showed more attacking intent having conceded their maiden first-half goal in 10 UNL fixtures, but the best chance late in the half fell to Mykola Shaparenko, whose free header missed the target from a pinpoint Sudakov cross.
Two defeats at UEFA Euro 2024 were Georgia’s only losses of the calendar year before tonight, and Georges Mikautadze looked determined to preserve that record soon after half time as he shrugged off the Ukraine defence, but could only find the side netting with his strike.
Two minutes later, Willy Sagnol’s men were fortunate to still be one down, as a strong hand from Mamardashvili meant he wasn’t beaten by Mudryk from range for a second time.
Like their opponents in the first half, the Crusaders enjoyed the lion’s share of the ball in the second half, yet despite pressing well, they rarely troubled Anatoliy Trubin in the Ukraine goal.
They thought their prayers had been answered in the 89th minute when Zuriko Davitashvili’s deflected effort found the net, but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was adjudged to be in an offside position in the build-up.
The Czech Republic’s win over Albania means Georgia now only lead the group standings on GD, as they still hope to become the first team to go from League D to League A in the UNL. A third win in their last nine gives Ukraine hope of avoiding back-to-back relegations in the competition.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mykhailo Mudryk (Ukraine)