Danylo Krevsun sparked a second-half scoring spree as Ukraine U-21 opened their Euro 2027 qualifying campaign with a convincing 4-0 victory over Lithuania.
Despite dominating possession throughout the first half, coach Unai Melgosa's squad couldn't break through Lithuania's defense before the interval. The breakthrough finally came in the 69th minute when Krevsun found the net, opening the floodgates for what became a commanding performance.
"We maintained our composure and trusted our approach even when the goals weren't coming early," Melgosa might have told his players during the halftime talk that clearly paid dividends.
Once Ukraine found their rhythm, the goals came in rapid succession. Just four minutes after Krevsun's opener, Serhiy Korniychuk doubled the advantage. The Lithuanians barely had time to regroup before conceding a penalty, which Hennadiy Synchuk confidently converted in the 77th minute.
To make matters worse for the hosts, Jurjonas received a red card in stoppage time, forcing Lithuania to finish the match shorthanded. Ramik Hadzhiyev, who had entered as a substitute, took advantage by adding a fourth goal in the 94th minute to complete the rout.
Interestingly, this match marks a perfect start for Ukraine in Group H, which also includes Croatia, Hungary, and Turkey. A clean sheet plus four goals away from home? That's exactly how you want to begin a qualifying campaign.
The convincing nature of this victory certainly raises expectations for this Ukrainian squad. Can they maintain this momentum in their upcoming qualifiers? Based on this performance, they certainly have the firepower to challenge for group leadership.
