After the record worst defeat in a friendly match with France earlier in October, the Ukrainian soccer team got ahead of Spain during the fourth group round of the UEFA Nations League on Oct. 13, with a 1:0 score.
The Dynamo Kyiv midfielder substitute Viktor Tsygankov scored the winning goal in the 76th minute in a game played on at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in Kyiv.
Tsygankov took Spain’s David de Gea, who is regarded to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, by surprise after he fired home from outside the area, forwarding Andriy Yarmolenko’s pass.
Now Ukraine celebrates its first victory over the 2010 World Cup winners after Spain defeated the Ukrainian team in the last four encounters, including September’s 4-0 Group A4 reversal in Madrid.
Although Ukraine has beaten Spain in the fourth group round, the Spanish team still leads with seven points; Germany is second in the league table, Ukraine is third, with Switzerland in the bottom with two points.
The Ukrainian team has two upcoming games scheduled for the near future: On Nov. 14 the local team will play against Germany in Leipzig and on Nov. 17 it will face the Swiss team in Lucerne.
The coronavirus is taking a toll on the sports industry, and the Ukrainian football team suffers as many players were tested positive for COVID-19, including the goalkeeper and captain Andriy Pyatov and midfielder Taras Stepanenko.
Because of the coronavirus, only 11,000 fans were allowed in to watch the Nations League game on Oct. 13, following the decision of Kyiv’s Emergencies Commission.
See the coverage:
Ukraine 1 – Spain 0: Tsygankov sinks Spain
Sports Desk: Watch Spain go down to surprise Nations League defeat in Ukraine
