In September, under coach Serhiy Rebrov, Ukraine suffered losses to Albania (1:2) and Czechia (2:3) before bouncing back in October with a win over Georgia (1:0) and a draw with the Czechia (1:1), followed by another 1:1 draw against Georgia three days ago. Heading into the final game, Ukraine needed nothing less than a victory to stay in contention. Rebrov made four changes to the starting lineup, bringing in Kalyuzhnyi, Hutsulyak, Zinchenko, and Yaremchuk.

Photo by Dan Balashov

The match started with a bang for the Blue and Yellows. In the 5th minute, Zinchenko opened the scoring, capitalizing on a blocked shot by Yaremchuk. The Ukrainian captain marked the moment by revealing a shirt with the number "1000," symbolizing the days of Ukraine's resistance against Russia's full-scale invasion. Just five minutes later, Sudakov's cross found Konoplya, who set up Yaremchuk to double Ukraine's lead.

Albania struggled to respond initially but began to threaten midway through the first half. Laci's effort narrowly missed, while Sudakov tested the Albanian goalkeeper with a long-range strike. Before halftime, Mudryk had a promising chance but failed to hit the target, while Muci forced a save from Trubin with a powerful shot.

Photo by Dan Balashov

The second half saw Albania pushing for a comeback. Uzuni missed a close-range opportunity, and Ajeti's long-range strike forced a strong save from Trubin.

The hosts eventually pulled one back in the 75th minute when Bajrami converted a penalty after Trubin fouled Uzuni in the box. Despite Albania's late pressure, Ukraine held firm and even came close to a third goal, but Strakosha denied their attempts.

Photo by Dan Balashov

The 2:1 victory secured Ukraine second place in Group B1, earning them a playoff spot for promotion to League A. In March 2025, they will face one of the third-placed teams from League A (Scotland, Belgium, Hungary, or Serbia) in a two-legged playoff, starting at home. The draw for the playoffs will take place on November 22.

Nations League 2024/25. Group B1

Matchday 6

Albania - Ukraine - 1:2 (0:2)

Goals: Bajrami (75, penalty) — Zinchenko (5), Yaremchuk (10).

Albania: Strakosha, Balliu, Ismajli (c), Ajeti, Mitaj, Asllani, Ramadani (Tuci, 76), Laci (Seferi, 90), Asani (Bajrami, 46), Daku (Uzuni, 46), Muci (Hoxha, 51).

Substitutes: Kastrati, Sherri, Hysaj, Mercinaj, Mihaj, Muja, Abrashi.

Head coach: Sylvinho.

Ukraine: Trubin, Konoplya (Sych, 76), Zabarnyi, Matviyenko (c), Mykolenko, Kalyuzhnyi, Hutsulyak (Nazarenko, 85), Zinchenko (Shaparenko, 69), Sudakov, Mudryk (Talovierov, 85), Yaremchuk (Dovbyk, 76).

Substitutes: Bushchan, Riznyk, Bondar, Brazhko, Kryskiv, Yarmolyuk, Zubkov.

Coach: Serhiy Rebrov.

Referee: João Pinheiro (Portugal).

Booked: Bajrami (69), Mitaj (79), Tuci (80) — Dovbyk (80).

November 19, Tirana. Air Albania Stadium.

Czechia - Georgia - 2:1 (2:0).

Standings