Ukraine Shap up nicely – Ukraine 2 Slovakia 1

Swear I heard the roar of relief from Vovchansk sweep across the stadium.

This one was for the boys and girls in the trenches, for sure!

And unlike in Munich many more Ukrainians were present. Roughly 6,000 againt Romania, perhaps 15,000 in smaller Dusseldorf.

Fan march

With a heavy police escort just in case some nasty Russians/Putinistas happened to want a make a name for themselves, hundreds of Ukrainians walked from a fan park to near the stadium.

They set off from next to the river on an hour-long walk, just beating the rain that started about an hour before kick off.

Serhiy Rebrov

Big calls were made by a guy obviously peeved a blue-haired Romanian Andrei Ratiu can make his carefully crafted side of talents look like mugs.

Four dropped from the starting line-up: Lunin – a Champions League winner this season – Tsygankov, Stepanenko and Konoplya.

In came: Brazhko, Trubin, Tymchyk, and Yarmolenko.

Good to see Serhiy reads this site as the suggestion, so obvious it was screaming loudly at the end of the Romania game, that mad monster Yarmolenko should start was taken on board. Invoice is in the post.

Am available for further consultations Mr Rebrov, but may yet go for the Wales job.

Yarmolenko

The 34-year-old was made captain, indicating that cohones was all in the flaccid first game and Ukraine left theirs in the hotel.

Yarmo was uncaged, back where he belongs. Ready to spit on a ball boy I reckoned. 15 seconds in, he went for an up and under and made sure he got his elbow into a challenge he wasn’t going to win. Not a foul.

After two minutes he clattered the same Slovak over the touch line in a stand-shaking collision. Ref decided against a booking – and after that he was good as gold. A calming influence.

First time for everything. He’s changed! Possibly even mellowed.

Sluggish start

Rebrov’s selections paid off straight away. Benfica keeper Trubin’s early saves kept his side in the game as Slovakia’s slick passing and swift moving of the ball impressed.

Trubin, 22, winning only his 12th cap kept Ukraine in the tournament.

Slovakia took the lead when Haraslin’s cross reached Schranz at the far post. A great downward header flashed in on 17 minutes.

Left back Zinchenko missed it by millimetres and knew he’d fluffed his jump.

As he is much shorter than Schranz, his height mismatch looked like a pre-planned routine to target him.

Before the restart Trubin ran 40 yards to pat the clearly dishevelled Zinchenko on the back.

Which made the comeback all the better.

Maybe Rebrov stuck 11 rockets up 11 backsides at half time. It was certainly required.

Ukraine turned up at Euro 2024 after a game and a half. About time.

Mudryk had mystified but after 140 minutes here managed to nutmeg someone.

A cross came in, Dynamo midfielder Shaparenko hit it and sparked pandemonium. If ever a country needed a goal it was Ukraine.

Yarmo cleared on 60. Yaremchuk cane on for Dovbyk and Shaparenko set him up beautifully for a well taken winner.

Sparking pandemonium of course. A huge relief. Wonderful reward for those who attended and a national fillip back home.

Rebrov’s Zelenskiyesque powers paid off in the last chance saloon.

Lothar Mattheus

**Lothar not doing a Farage salute, I feel I should point out**

This bugger is everywhere, just like when he was on the field.

Now a pundit for the telly, he’s channeling Bee Gee teeth power snd once again he was flashing his gnashers at all and sundry.

Am convinced he’s stalking me. Switch on the telly, he’s there. Go to the game, he’s there.

Plus he bears an uncanny resemblance to Nigel Farage I noticed – in the day Farage blamed war in Ukraine on the West. What a timely win this was.

Kim Il Jung

Fresh from his meeting with Putin, Kim Il Jung, in a pin striped suit no less, sneaked into the Ukraine end but luckily he was surprisingly meek. No nasty chants or gestures.

Don’t think the mask quite worked, needs better spook briefing. I figured any weapons were confiscated by security.