Italy rushes to the European Championship: will a penalty be stolen from Ukraine here?

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Drama in the BayArena! On Monday evening, Ukraine will host reigning European champions Italy in the alternative stadium in Leverkusen. The starting position is clear: Ukraine will go to the European Championship if they win, Italy can achieve a draw.

A very attractive game with a final character unfolds in front of more than 30,000 spectators and every outcome seems possible until the end. Italy took advantage of opportunities, especially in the first half. And he’s lucky this doesn’t come back to haunt him at the last minute.

Cristante falls on Mudryk – VAR is silent

There is a lot of excitement deep into stoppage time. AS Roma defender Bryan Cristante (28) attacks Chelsea wing Mykhailo Mudryk (22) in the penalty area. What initially looks like a free run becomes a legitimate penalty call as the game slows down.

The Ukrainian bank immediately jumped on board. But Spanish referee Gil Manzano (38) does not want to hear about a penalty kick. And the VAR is also silent – to the incomprehension of the Ukrainians. A moment later the game is over. And the Italians thanks to the 0-0 draw at the European Championship.

“In my opinion it is a penalty”

Joy on the one hand, disappointment on the other. Given the controversial penalty decision, there was also a lot of frustration. Ukraine coach Serhij Rebrow (49) finds clear words: “From my point of view it was a penalty. But the VAR did not think it was necessary to call the referee to the screen.

The missed penalty has an aftertaste for the Ukrainians. Before the match, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, 56, raised eyebrows by saying that Italy’s failure to qualify would be a “disaster”. “Italy must qualify, they are too important,” said Ceferin. Quite a few on the Ukrainian side now suspect a conspiracy after the lack of a VAR check.

But Ukraine coach Rebrow will not let that happen. He praises the “great atmosphere” in Leverkusen much more. “The Italians showed us a lot of respect, both in the stands and on the field,” he says. In the realization that his country’s European Championship dream has not yet fallen apart. Because Ukraine still has the chance to get one of the last three tickets for the final round through the play-off.

Big relief for Italy

And the Italians? After the embarrassing miss of the World Cup in Qatar, the relief to be at a major tournament again prevails. As defending champions, missing next summer’s final would have been particularly unforgivable. Striker Nicolò Zaniolo (24) immediately makes it clear where the journey should go: “Italy must be a leading player at the European Championship, not a supporting role.”

And goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma (24) also thinks: “We are back where we belong. Despite all the difficulties we had.” The new national coach Luciano Spalletti (64), who led Napoli to their first league title since the Maradona era this summer, has successfully combated these difficulties.

He took over after Mancini’s departure from Saudi Arabia and has had his baptism of fire. The successful qualification now takes a lot of pressure off his shoulders. «Now I finally have the chance to really get started. When I accepted the job, I knew that the qualification was mandatory.” (sbe)

Source : Blick