Ukraine Triumphs Over New Zealand in Friendly Match
The Ukrainian national team played their second friendly match in the Canadian Shield tournament against the New Zealand national team.
The game ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of Serhiy Rebrov's side.
Football – Canadian Shield
June 11, second round
New Zealand – Ukraine 1:2 (0:0)
Goals: 0:1 – Hutsulyak (54), 1:1 – Stamenich (59), 1:2 – Zinchenko (75)
New Zealand: Krokomb – Surman, Bindon, Boxall, Kakache – Stamenich, Bell – Just (Wood, 81), Singh (Rufer, 73), Garbett (Old, 66) – Wayne (Barbarouses, 66),
Ukraine: Lunin – Tymchyk, Cheberko (Taloverov, 66), Zabarnyi, Mykhailichenko (Martyniuk, 66) – Mykhailenko (Zinchenko, 73), Nazaryna – Zubkov (Tsigankov, 73), Pikhalyonok, Kabaev (Yaremchuk, 66) – Hutsulyak
Yellow cards: Bell (65), Bindon (73) – Tsigankov (83)
The first 15 minutes were quite calm. Rebrov's team struggled to cope with the opponent's pressing, despite having possession of the ball.
A dangerous moment arose in the 16th minute. Pikhalyonok crossed the ball, Hutsulyak won the aerial duel and shot, but goalkeeper Max Krokomb denied him.
The next opportunity came in the 32nd minute. Hutsulyak shot again, but Krokomb thwarted him a second time. Kabaev was first to the rebound, but his shot flew over the goal.
In the 54th minute, the Blue and Yellow opened the scoring. Zabarnyi found Kabaev with a diagonal pass, who then set up Hutsulyak. Oleksii quickly controlled the ball and delivered a precise shot into the near corner.
Soon after, the Oceania representative equalized. Following a corner kick, Boxall won the duel and flicked the ball to Stamenich, who scored from close range.
In the 74th minute, Oleksandr Zinchenko came onto the field, and just a minute later, the Arsenal player scored. Oleksandr Martyniuk, who was making his debut for the national team, provided the assist.
In the closing moments, Darren Beazley brought on New Zealand's star player Chris Wood, but even the experienced forward couldn't save the future participant of the 2026 World Cup.
