Ukraine 2 North Macedonia 1 LIVE REACTION: Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk goals enough for big Euro 2020 win – latest updates

UKRAINE picked up their first points of Euro 2020 with a tight win over tournament minnows North Macedonia in Bucharest.

Yaromlenko and Yaremchuk notched in the first half for Ukraine before Alioski pulled one back from a penalty rebound in the second half.

  • RESULT: Ukraine 2 North Macedonia 1
  • Ukraine XI: Bushchan, Stepanenko, Yarmolenko, Malinovskyi, Yaremchuk, Shaparenko, Zabarnyi, Mykolenko, Zinchenko, Karavaev, Matviyenko
  • North Macedonia XI: Dimitrievski, Ademi, Musliu, Alioski, Pandev, Ristovski, Velkovski, Nikolov, Bardi, Spirovski, Elmas

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  • Joshua Mbu

    SAVED FROM THE SPOT

    Two penalties were saved in today's game!

  • Joshua Mbu

    FULL-TIME STATS

    North Macedonia put up a good fight in the second half!

  • Joshua Mbu

    FT: UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    Before the game, North Macedonian player Aleksandar Trajkovski promised that they would not go down without a fight.

    He said: "This team will never surrender. We will fight to the end, then we will see what happens.

    "We will not give up; we will fight to get through the group and make everyone back at home proud enough to take to the streets."

    And they did fight until the very end!

    Pandev won a penalty in the 55th minute, and Leeds' Alioski stepped up to the plate.

    Alioski missed the initial penalty, but scored the rebound to pull a goal back.

    Ukraine managed to weather the storm and late on they had the chance to seal the game.

    Malinovskiy won Ukraine a penalty after his free-kick struck the arm of a North Macedonian penalty.

    He stepped up himself, but saw his spot-kick saved by Dimitrievski.

    Unfortunately for North Macedonia, they'll find it hard to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament and they face the Netherlands next.

    Ukraine, on the other hand, have put themselves in a very good position.

  • Joshua Mbu

    PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

    THE FULL-TIME WHISTLE GOES IN BUCHAREST!

    UKRAINE COME AWAY WITH ALL THREE POINTS!

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    90+2. Trajkovski has the ball on the edge of Ukraine's penalty area and the No9 shapes up to shoot.

    He pulls the trigger, but drags his effort wide of the far post.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    90. The fourth official holds his board up and there will be four additional minutes played.

    Ukraine are also making one last change, and Malinovskiy is replaced by Sobol.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    89. There's a break in play whilst Stepanenko receives treatment for what looks like cramp.

    But let's go back and talk about the penalty.

    The referee alongside with the officials running VAR got it absolutely spot on.

    That's how you correctly use VAR in a football game. It's been used effectively so far in this tournament.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    87. Not a lot of time left in the game for North Macedonia to find an equaliser.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    84. Malinovskiy steps up and sees his penalty saved by Dimitrievski and North Macedonia remain in the game!

    Avramovski was the man who gave the penalty away, and he was booked before the spot-kick was taken for handball.

  • Joshua Mbu

    MALINOVSKIY FLUFFS HIS LINES!!!

    GOOD SAVE BY THE GOALKEEPER!!!

    NORTH MACEDONIA REMAIN IN THE GAME!!!

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    82. PENALTY!

    Rapallini emphatically points to the spot. Penalty to Ukraine!

    Malinovskiy to take…..

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    81. Well then, the ball appears to hit the arm of a North Macedonian player from Malinovskiy's free-kick.

    And the referee for the first time this tournament, has gone across to the screen to take a look.

    Standby for confirmation.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    79. Ukraine win a free-kick in a promising position out wide on the right flank.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    77. SUBSTITUTION!

    Both teams make a substitution, and for Ukraine it's a conservative change.

    Shaparenko is taken off for Dynamo Kyiv's Sydorchuk.

    And for North Macedonia, Bardhi is taken off for Kayserispor's Avramovski.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    75. Alioski switches play to the opposite flank, finding Bardhi close to the touchline.

    The midfielder tries to play the ball down the line to Ristovski, but Matviyenko gets across well to sweep the ball out of play.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    73. JUST WIDE!

    Malinovskiy plays a wonderful pass into Tsyhankov inside North Macedonia's penalty area.

    The No15 – despite being unmarked – fires wide of the far post! Poor effort.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    72. Musliu appears to have pulled up with cramp.

    He is helped back to his feet and he tries to stretch it off, not sure how much it will help, though.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    70. North Macedonia have shown some fight in the second half, and there's still time to find an equaliser.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    68. DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION!

    Goal-scorer Yarmolenko is taken off and he passes the captains armband to Stepanenko.

    He is replaced by Tsyhankov

    And Besyedin is on for the other Ukrainian goal-scorer Yaremchuk. Bold move.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    67. Trajkovski finds a yard of room 35 yards from goal and he has another pop at goal.

    The shot causes Bushchan some problems and the keeper pushes the ball behind for a corner.

    North Macedonia are building up some momentum!

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    65. Malinovskiy gets a powerful shot off on goal, but the keeper comfortably saves.

    There's a little bit of afters between goalkeeper Dimitrievski and Yaremchuk.

    But South American referee Rapallini intervenes.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    63. Zinchenko turns well inside Ukraine's half and looks to play the ball in behind North Macedonia's backline for Yarmolenko to run onto.

    But the Man City midfielders' pass has too much power on it and the attack breaks down.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    60. A good spell of North Macedonian possession breaks down and Yaremchuk leads the Ukraine counter attack.

    The forward breaks into the opposition half on his own and is dispossessed by Ademi.

    But Ademi's touch sends the ball out of play for a Ukraine throw-in.

    Pandev won the penaltyCredit: GETTY IMAGES
    And Alioski scored itCredit: GETTY IMAGES
  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    59. YELLOW CARD!

    Malinovskiy is brought down by Velkovski and the defender is booked.

  • Joshua Mbu

    UKRAINE 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA

    58. We have a real game on our hands now.

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