In the opening act in Eden, Šulc scored twice, captain Tomáš Souček converted a penalty in the 80th minute. Vladyslav Vanat equalized for the guests in the 37th minute at 1:1, and substitute Heorhij Sudakov reduced the score in the 84th minute.
The Czech team won for the first time after four matches after an unsuccessful appearance at the Euros, where, like Ukraine, it did not progress to the knockout phase.
Hašek’s men revived their hopes of triumph in the four-man group, in which they have the same points as second-placed Albania, who they will welcome in their next match on October 11.
Compared to the unsuccessful match in Tbilisi, Hašek made six changes in the starting line-up. For the first time, Červ got a chance from the start, his Pilsen team-mate Šulc, among others, started in the offensive and Chorý was at the tip of the attack at the expense of the best scorer in the squad Schick.
The Ukrainians, who lost to Albania 1:2 in the home asylum at the packed Letná on Saturday, also had a numerical advantage in the audience in Eden. Almost 19,000 spectators watched the match.
The Czechs began actively and with a visible effort to atone for the embarrassment in Tbilisi. In the ninth minute, Zelený did not get past the goalkeeper, but he was already offside. On the opposite side, after Krejčí’s mistake, Vitík blocked Vanat’s shot at the last moment.
In the 21st minute, the home team opened the scoring. Černý won the ball in the right corner of the penalty area and his cross was directed from close range into the open Šulc goal. The 23-year-old attacking all-rounder narrowly avoided offside and scored his first goal in his sixth start for the national team.
In the 35th minute, on the other side, Zabarnyj headed a corner kick to the top of the crossbar, but the Ukrainians equalized shortly after. After a cross from the left side from Šaparenko, Vanat got through with a close header and he too could celebrate his first goal in the national team.
The Czech team took the lead back before the break and Šulc once again prevailed. In the second minute of the first half, he picked up a weakly deflected ball on the edge of the penalty area, worked it on his chest and volleyed it straight to the post.
After the change of sides, the Ukrainians pressed for an equaliser, and the Czech team at times defended with only a strain of strength. In the 64th minute, he ran behind the defense to a cross from Vanat’s free kick, but narrowly missed. In the 72nd minute, in another great chance from the left side, Mudryk also shot wide.
The home team then escaped from the greatest pressure thanks to substitutions. After the center from the left side, the visiting Matvijenko also played in an aerial duel with Krejčí ruč
Judge Beaton, after the intervention of the video referee and a review of the situation on the monitor, ordered a penalty, which captain Souček easily converted in the 80th minute. The West Ham midfielder scored for the fourteenth time in the national team.
The Ukrainians still managed to dramatize the conclusion. After the cooperation of two alternating players and a cross from Cyhankov, Sudakov’s header in the 84th minute hit the back post and started the at times overwhelming onslaught of his team.
However, the home team resisted thanks to goalkeeper Kovář, who reflexively saved Sudakov’s shot in the fourth of six minutes.
The Czech team was successful against Ukraine, unlike two Nations League matches in 2018, in which they did not score a single point. The national team lost only one of the last 20 duels at home. The Ukrainians did not score even in the second match of this year’s League of Nations.
The competition replaces the preliminary matches and gives the national teams an additional chance to fight for participation in the final tournaments. The fourth year is linked to the fight for the World Cup in 2026.
The four best teams that do not succeed in the classic qualification will make it to the playoffs for the championship. Within the League of Nations, only the winners of the groups will directly advance from division B to “A”, the teams in second place will face off against the teams from the third ranks of the elite level.
