Nathan Collins, a defender for the Republic of Ireland, departed Lodz with only one regret:
his amazing solo goal could not secure a Nations League victory over Ukraine.
The Burnley centre-back scythed his way through the Ukrainian defence,
escaping three challenges before stabbing home with the outside of his right foot to give Ireland a first-half lead
that was wiped out after the break by Artem Dovbyk.
Watch the equalizer between Ukraine andِ the other team
“If it was the last minute, it would be amazing because we may have gotten the win,” Collins told RTE when asked about his spectacular strike.
“However, I would have settled for a draw.
” They’re a good group,
and we know where we stand as a group.”
“I haven’t seen it back yet,” Collins said,
when asked about his mad dash past Oleksandr Zinchenko, Serhiy Sydorchuk, and Illia Zabarnyi. I’ll need some time to go back and watch it again.
“I just went with the flow, took it in stride, and saw what was available and grabbed it.”
Collins’ contribution not only in Poland,
but in all four games during the window, was praised by Ireland manager Stephen Kenny.
The Burnley centre-back scythed his way through the Ukrainian defence,
escaping three challenges before stabbing home with the outside of his right foot to give
Ireland a first-half lead that was wiped out after the break by Artem Dovbyk.
“If it was the last minute, it would be amazing because we may have gotten the win,
” Collins told RTE when asked about his spectacular strike.
UEFA Nations League Group 1 – Ukraine v Republic of Ireland – Stadion Miejski im Wladyslawa Krola
Ukraine 1-1 Republic of Ireland: Dovbyk’s equaliser cancels away Collins’ magnificent solo goal.
Nathan Collins of Burnley wove his way through Ukraine’s ranks before firing with the outside of his right foot past Dmytro Riznyk.
This spectacular goal was only good for a draw for the Republic of Ireland. Ukraine now leads the group ahead of the remaining games thanks to Dovbyk’s equaliser.
Because Burnley does not have the luxury of making mistakes, Vincent Kompany is a risk.
With the exception of James McClean, who got his 94th cap,
a mainly inexperienced Ireland team performed brilliantly at the LKS Stadium,
with Collins, Dara O’Shea, Josh Cullen, and Jason Knight in particular impressing to offer manager Stephen Kenny with additional vindication of his vision.
Due to the absence of Shane Duffy, John Egan,
and Michael Obafemi, Kenny was forced to make changes at the defence and in attack, resulting in starts for O’Shea,
Darragh Lenihan, who was making his competitive debut, and Scott Hogan, who was playing for the first time since September 2019.
The visitors, led by McClean,
who quipped at the pre-match press conference that the team cook had a better chance of receiving the armband, got off to a fast start. Dmytro Riznyk had trouble keeping up with Troy Parrott’s early cross.
Ukraine, who had set up with three at the back in Dublin last Wednesday evening,
went with four this time,
allowing the dangerous Mykola Shaparenko to play a more advanced role, albeit it was Ruslan Malinovskyi who challenged Caoimhin Kelleher with an 11th-minute snapshot.
Within seven minutes,
though, the visitors could have taken the lead when Knight took advantage of Illia Zabarnyi’s error to cross to the unmarked Parrott, who blasted his header back past Riznyk but wide of the far post.
When defender Mykola Matviyenko’s ball over the top let Vitaliy Mykolenko in behind wing-back Alan Browne in the 22nd minute,
Kelleher was called into action again, blocking the defender’s initial shot before Browne recovered to resist his follow-up.
Shaparenko returned to midfield alongside Serhiy Sydorchuk after Malinovskyi’s abrupt departure due to injury and the arrival of Mykhailo Mudryk as his replacement,
recreating the tandem that had proven so successful at the Aviva.
Collins intercepted the playmaker’s 31st-minute pass and surged forward,
eluding challenges from Oleksandr Zinchenko, Sydorchuk, and Zabarnyi before sending the ball perfectly beyond Riznyk to open the score in spectacular fashion.
The Republic of Ireland drew a Nations League match against Ukraine in Poland thanks to Nathan Collins’ spectacular strike.
Burnley’s central defender Collins had put the Republic on track for back-to-back victories in the competition, scoring a fantastic solo goal in the first half to give them a surprise first-half lead.
Ukraine, on the other hand, equalised early in the second half via to Artem Dovbyk’s tap-in.
In Group B1, the Republic moves a point clear of bottom-placed Armenia.
Ukraine, on the other hand, is in first place, with seven points from three Nations League games, a remarkable comeback to missing out on World Cup qualification.
It was a hard-won point for the Republic in Poland, where the game was played because Ukraine was unable to hold games in their own nation due to Russia’s invasion.
It was also a positive ending to a quadruple-header that began with demoralising defeats for Armenia and Ukraine.
Those results, particularly Armenia’s stunning setback in Yerevan, had sparked new criticism of Stephen Kenny, but the Republic manager may take confidence from the way his squad finished the window with four points out of a possible six.
