Group D Matchday 9-10 - 13-16th November, 2021

[Stan]

Saturday 13th November, 2021
Bosnia vs Finland, 14.00
France vs Kazakhstan, 19.45

Tuesday 16th November, 2021
Bosnia vs Ukraine, 19.45
Finland vs France, 19.45

[Guest]

@Michael if in tagging th wrong person I'm sorry. Play offs for Ukraine. Unbeaten in a group with france if a good achievement.

[Michael]

30 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

@Michael if in tagging th wrong person I'm sorry. Play offs for Ukraine. Unbeaten in a group with france if a good achievement.

Well this was perhaps Ukraine's most dominant performance so far in the qualifiers. The score really should have been more than 2 nil to Ukraine given the chances that they created. Nonetheless, a 2 nil away win in Zenica, Bosnia, has to be considered a good result. 

Yaremchuk and Yarmolenko had two dangerous efforts to score in the first half, but Zincheko's close range opening goal was crucial. As usual, with his experience he was able to be in the right place to slot the ball home. It was great to see the substitute Dovbyk score Ukraine's 2nd goal as he found himself through on goal and scored with an accurate left footed shot from just inside the area, into the corner of the net. Dovbyk should have scored his 2nd goal and Ukraine's 3rd goal a few moments later. He beat the offside trap and found himself through on goal again, he then beat a defender, rounded the keeper and shot on goal only to see his shot blocked on the line by a Bosnian defender. Dovbyk of course was the unlikely hero who scored Ukraine's winning goal against Sweden at Euro 2020 with his beautiful diving header in the Round of 16, to send Ukraine to the quarter finals. He is becoming a bit of a cult hero in Ukraine.

As for Ukrainian team, they've played very well in some matches during these qualifiers and they had room for improvement in other matches. Injuries to some key players didn't help their cause, but we can't really use that as too much of an excuse. Overall, it was nice to see them hold France to a draw both home and away. I think that was quite impressive by them and the new manager Petrakov seems to have done a decent job since Shevchenko left the manager position.

It will be interesting to see who Ukraine will be drawn with in the play-offs. No doubt they will be separated from playing Russia once again, although that would be one hell of a match-up! )))

I'd personally like to see Ukraine draw Wales or Scotland, because I could then go and see them play live again. However, I've already been to see Ukraine defeat Sweden at Hampden Park during Euro 2020 this summer. So Wales would be the ideal draw, as I don't fancy travelling all the way up North of the border again, with all due respect to Scotland.

[Guest]

@Michael to the best of my knowledge football is the most popular sport in Ukraine. Why is it they have not had the impact on the international stage that they perhaps could of with their population size? I'm not saying they have under achieved. I think its unfair and abit simplistic to say that a country with a higher population should automatically do better than one with less people. However at the same time there has to be a reason a team with a large population that likes football hasn't done as well as countries with less people. Same with russia really. Huge population but haven't really had and impact in major competitions. Why is that?