Ukraine
- Andriy Shevchenko – Goals: 48
- Andriy Yarmolenko – Goals: 45
- Yehven Konoplyanka – Goals: 21
- Serhiy Rebrov – Goals: 15
- Roman Yaremchuk – Goals: 13
Andriy Shevchenko is the greatest player in Ukraine national team history. In 2004, he became the third Ukrainian player to win the Ballon d’Or and won the UEFA Champions League with AC Milan in 2003. A striker, Shevchenko is the all-time top scorer in the Derby della Madonnina between AC and Inter Milan. He also scored 48 goals in 111 appearances for Ukraine and helped them advance to the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup.
By far the most capped player in national team history, Anatoliy Tymoschuck was a constant presence in Ukraine’s midfield. He made 144 caps between 2000 and 2016 and played in three major tournaments for Ukraine. Tymoschuck won league titles in Germany, Ukraine and Russia and won the Champions League with Bayern Munich.
One of the few players to make 100 appearances for Ukraine, Andriy Yarmolenko is a lethal goal scorer. The winger won three league titles with Dynamo Kiev and has been voted Ukraine’s Footballer of the Year four times. As of June 2022, Yarmolenko is just three goals away from breaking Shevchenko’s scoring record.
Andriy Pyatov made 106 appearances in net for Ukraine from 2006-2022. Pyatov is the only player to make the roster at all four of Ukraine’s major tournament appearances. In 2013 he set the Ukraine national team record for most minutes without conceding a goal. Pyatov has won over 25 trophies as a member of Shakhtar Donetsk.
Yehven Konoplyanka has won three Ukrainian Footballer of the Year awards. The winger made over 200 appearances for Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and helped them unexpectedly reach the 2015 Europa League final. The following , he won the Europa League with Sevilla. Konoplyanka has scored over 20 goals for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s first FIFA World Cup appearance was a success. Despite losing to Spain 4-0 in their opener, the Blue and Yellow responded beautifully. Four different players got on the scoresheet as Ukraine blew out Saudi Arabia 4-0. Then, Shevchenko scored a penalty to squeak past Tunisia in the group stage finale.
With two wins, Ukraine national football team finished second in their group and advanced to the round of 16 for the first time. Admittedly, their round of 16 match vs. Switzerland had little action and went into penalties. Shevchenko missed the opening penalty but it didn’t matter as the Swiss missed all of theirs. By a 3-0 scoreline in the shootout, Ukraine advanced to the quarterfinals vs. Italy. Luca Toni scored a brace as the Azzurri sent the Ukrainians home.
Ukraine National Football Team History
Before 1991, Ukrainian players were on the Soviet Union national team. Seven of the 11 starters on the Soviet team that were runners up at Euro 1988 were from Ukraine. When the USSR collapsed, many Ukrainian players chose to play for Russia, since they were the official successor of the Soviet Union.
The Ukraine national football team became a FIFA member in 1992 and played their first match in the same year. Ukraine lost 3-1 to Hungary and won their first game in 1993 against Lithuania. Ukraine were not able to enter into 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification, so the first major tournament they attempted to qualify for was Euro ’96.
They were unable to qualify for Euro but got close to making the 1998 World Cup. However, Ukraine lost to Croatia in a playoff. Notably, Ukraine finished ahead of Russia in Euro 2000 and qualified but were unable to make the tournament.
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Ukraine’s 2006 World Cup Debut
The year 2006 marked Ukraine’s World Cup debut and they exceeded expectations. Star striker Andriy Shevchenko scored two group stage goals as the Blue and Yellow advanced to the round of 16. After a scoreless draw with Switzerland, the Ukraine national football team won on penalties and made the quarterfinals. There, they lost 3-0 to eventual champions Italy.
The next major tournament Ukraine qualified for was Euro 2012. They won one of their three matches but were eliminated in the group stage. Ukraine qualified again in both 2016 and 2020. In the latter, Artem Dovbyk scored a dramatic last-minute extra-time winner to send Ukraine to the quarterfinals for the first time. They, however, fell to England.
Ukraine were one match away from qualifying for the Qatar 2022 World Cup but lost a playoff to Wales.
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