Ukraine’s journey at Euro 2024 has been a rollercoaster ride so far. After a shock 0-3 defeat to Romania in their opening match, the Blue and Yellow brigade bounced back with a hard-fought 2-1 win against Slovakia, keeping their hopes of reaching the round of 16 alive. Their fate now rests on the outcome of their final group fixture against Belgium on Wednesday at MHPArena in Stuttgart.
Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov is well aware of the importance of the clash against Belgium, a team that secured a 2-0 win over Romania in their previous match. “When you say something very loudly, the echo will be very loud as well, so I think we should be silent and we should do what we can do, and we’ll see tomorrow at 8 PM what we could do,” Rebrov told reporters, highlighting the need for focus and determination.
Rebrov also emphasized the symbolic significance of Ukraine’s performance in the tournament for the war-torn nation. “What will it mean for the country is that we will go on with this fairytale, this really fantastic fairytale for several more days for the whole country, because we are at war for almost 900 days,” he said. “For the Ukrainians, every game, every event like that means a lot, it means for them that they can come back to the usual pre-war times.”
The scenarios for Ukraine’s progression are intricate, with multiple possibilities depending on the results of both their match against Belgium and the other Group C fixture between Slovakia and Romania.
Ukraine will qualify for the round of 16 if:
* They beat Belgium, regardless of the outcome of the other match.
Ukraine will qualify as a best third-placed team if:
* They draw their match, and the other game is not drawn. This would give them four points, with the winner of the other match qualifying as the group topper.
If both matches have the same score, or if Belgium and Ukraine draw with fewer goals than Slovakia and Romania, the group ranking will be based on:
* Goal difference
* Goals scored
In the event of both draws with different scorelines, the following scenarios are possible:
* A goalless draw between Slovakia and Romania, combined with a 1-1 draw between Belgium and Ukraine (or any scenario where Belgium scores only one more goal than Romania) would see Belgium and Romania advance as the top two teams, based on head-to-head results. Slovakia would be third, and Ukraine fourth on goal difference.
Ukraine will be eliminated from the tournament if:
* They lose and Slovakia avoids defeat.
* Both matches end in draws.
The stakes are high for Ukraine, with a nation united behind them hoping for a successful outcome in this crucial match.
