Euro 2024 roundup: Late Dovbyk goal gives Ukraine playoff win against Bosnia
A late goal by striker Artem Dovbyk sent Ukraine past Bosnia-Herzegovina with a 2-1 win in their Euro 2024 playoff semi-final on Thursday and into a final against Iceland for a spot in the summer tournament in Germany.
Ukraine held more possession than the home side, and had more chances, but went 1-0 down through an own goal early in the second half when defender Mykola Matviyenko sent the ball into his own net in the 56th minute.
Substitute Roman Yaremchuk restored hope for Ukraine when he levelled from close range in the 85th minute before setting up Dovbyk who sealed the turnaround win three minutes later with a header.
Ukraine will host Iceland on Tuesday in Wroclaw, Poland, due to Russia’s invasion of their country.
Poland hammered lacklustre Estonia 5-1 in their Euro 2024 playoff semi-final on Thursday after the visitors were left with 10 men before the half-hour mark.
Poland will travel to Cardiff on Tuesday to face Wales in the Path A final after Rob Page’s side beat Finland 4-1 in the other semi-final clash.
The Poles overwhelmed powerless Estonia, who rarely left their own half and had no goal attempt until midfielder Martin Vetkal pulled back a consolation in the 78th minute.
Przemyslaw Frankowski put Poland ahead in the 22nd minute, when he received an elegant pass from Jakub Piotrowski to score with a low finish, and Piotr Zielinski doubled the lead after the break, nodding home a cross from Nicola Zalewski.
Piotrowski made it 3-0 with a shot from a distance in the 70th minute, three minutes before Estonia defender Karol Mets gifted Poland their fourth with an own goal, and Sebastian Szymanski bundled in the fifth from close range.
Estonia went down to 10 men in the 27th minute when defender Maksim Paskotsi saw his second yellow card for a challenge on Zalewski.
Poland finished third in qualifying Group E behind Albania and Czech Republic while Estonia were last in Group F but, like the other semi-finalists, they made it to the playoffs via the UEFA Nations League.
Albert Gudmundsson scored a hattrick and Arnor Traustason got the other goal as Iceland booked their place in the Path B playoff final with a thumping 4-1 victory over Israel in neutral Budapest.
Eran Zahavi put Israel ahead from the penalty spot but they finished the game with 10 men following a red card for Roy Revivo, after which Zahavi missed a second spot-kick to level the score 10 minutes from the end.
Iceland will face Ukraine in the Path B final on Tuesday, with the victor earning a place in Group E in Germany along with Belgium, Slovakia and Romania.
Israel earned their first penalty when Daniel Gretarsson clipped the heels of Zahavi in the box and the latter stepped up to drill the ball low into the left-hand corner from the spot.
Iceland were level on 39 minutes with a sublime 30-yard free-kick from Gudmundsson, and within three minutes they had turned the tie on its head through Traustason’s deflected volley.
Israel’s task got harder when Revivo received a deserved straight red card from referee Anthony Taylor for a horror tackle, but were given a lifeline with a second penalty for handball, but this time Zahavi could not finish and Iceland made the game safe with two late goals.
Greece thrashed Kazakhstan 5-0, booking a place in one of Tuesday’s three play-off finals and coming close
to a qualification berth after 12 years.
Greece struck twice early with captain Anastasios Bakasetas scoring a powerful penalty in the ninth minute after defender Bagdat Kairov had fouled Dimitrios Pelkas, who six minutes later doubled the lead with a header that set the raucous home crowd cheering.
The struggling visitors failed to find the net and were outplayed again when Giorgos Masouras broke quickly and crossed for Fotis Ioannidis to finish from close range in the 37th minute.
Dimitrios Kourbelis’s header gave the hosts a fourth goal, five minutes before the break, and a late own goal by Aleksandr Marochkin made it five for
Greece, who will face Georgia on Tuesday.