Serbia And Slovakia Conquered In Cyprus

Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko continues to build a foundation of results. His squad leaves Cyprus as winners of the four nation friendly tournament. Serhiy Nazarenko’s first half wonder strike was enough to lift Ukraine to a 1-0 victory over Serbia. A day earlier Artem Milevskiy set up two goals and converted a late penalty he himself earned to secure a 3-2 triumph over Slovakia. Since taking over as manager, Mykhaylichenko has led Ukraine to 8 wins and just 1 defeat with 2 draws.

With the matches held on consecutive days 22 different players saw action for the Zhovto-Syni. Against Slovakia Mykhaylichenko featured the Dynamo Kyiv core, with seven members of the UPL leaders comprising the starting eleven. Once again Milevskiy was the most likely player on the pitch to create a goal. After Milevskiy drew the attention of no fewer than four defenders it was his club teammate and best friend Oleksandr Aliyev who spotted Serhiy Valyayev alone at the top the box. The Metalist midfielder’s precise strike opened his national team account. After Slovakia evened matters, it was Aliyev who released Milevskiy down the left flank. Artem expertly held off the defender while driving into the box, forcing the keeper to commit before picking out the head of strike partner Yevhen Seleznyov, who made no mistake with the goal at his mercy. Another Slovakia equalizer courtesy of Marek Hamsik left the match begging for a winner, and Milevskiy was happy to oblige. After being wrestled down in the box by a Slovakian defender, Artem eschewed his more flashy spot kick technique in favor of a simple laser into the side netting.

The victory earned Ukraine a date with the formidable Serbian squad in the final. Milevskiy and the rest of the Dynamo contingent headed back to Spain to continue preparations for their UEFA Cup clash with Valencia in a week’s time. Vitaliy Mandzyuk, on loan at Arsenal Kyiv, and reserve team goalkeeper Artem Kichak were the only ones to remain. Mandzyuk had the distinction of being the only player to start both matches, demonstrating impressive work rate and a physical style that is in demand at the international level. The Ukraine defense suffocated the Serbian front line, and debutant goalkeeper Rustam Khudzhamov was rarely troubled. Much of the credit has to go to the midfield duo of Anatoliy Tymoschuk and Yevhen Levchenko, who never allowed an opponent an easy path through the center.

Ukraine’s formation resembled a 4-2-2-2, a defensive-oriented variant that will likely be utilized against England at Wembley. It does not involve a lot of players in attacking moves and discourages central midfielders from taking risks. It was no surprise that a moment of individual brilliance rather than a sustained attack provided the difference in this match. Nazarenko saw a loose ball drop at his feet and his sweetly struck volley from 30 yards out found the top left corner. The Dnipro midfielder has thrived under Mykhaylichenko with 5 goals from 10 matches. The same cannot be said for Andriy Voronin. The veteran striker, who looked to be on a run of good form at Hertha Berlin, played another anonymous 45 minutes against a defense missing Nemanja Vidic. A fair bit of running and a booking for simulation notwithstanding, Voronin just hasn’t been able to find his game in Mykhaylichenko’s system. Marko Devic and Volodymyr Homenyuk looked far more comfortable at the point of attack for Ukraine. The result must be particularly satisfying for Devic, who waited in vain for a call from the Serbian FA before deciding to don the yellow and blue. It is a good look for him, just like his club kit.