National cup

National Stadium
Spectators: 5149 (Terracing: 3862, Seating: 1184, VIP seats: 103) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Richie Bannister took the kick off in the first half of the match. After 2 played minutes U21 Ukraine got a freekick which was hit by Anatoliy Nitsetskyi. Noel Clark blasted a shot towards the goal in the 6th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Lyubomyr Zhelikhovskyj having to make a save. After 7 played minutes U21 England got a freekick which was hit by Jake Britton. The supporters of U21 Ukraine booed when U21 England was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 8 match minutes in a wonderful position. Pedro Portway didn't get a good kick on the ball. When Arkhyp Siryi came up free with the goalie in the 9th minute, the U21 Ukraine fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Arkhyp Siryi couldn't finish the play. After 14 minutes, Richie Bannister made it 1-0 with a short kick to the right side. U21 Ukraine's Lyubomyr Zhelikhovskyj tried to save the shot but he was too slow in reacting to the shot. In the 17thth minute of the game Richie Bannister who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but U21 Ukraine's Lyubomyr Zhelikhovskyj was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Richie Bannister in the 19th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Lyubomyr Zhelikhovskyj prevented the ball from getting in the gole. 20 minutes into the match, U21 Ukraine's goalkeeper Lyubomyr Zhelikhovskyj had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Stew Gregory. After a rather tough play, U21 England's Kevin Boland got a free kick in the 21st minute. 22 minutes into the match, U21 England's goal looked a bit too open when Illja Voronkov came free, but Piers Paine reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 22nd minute, Illja Voronkov made a precise shot to the right of Piers Paine. U21 England's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 1-1. U21 England's Piers Paine played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Svyatoslav Pavlenko in the 27th minute of play. When U21 Ukraine's Svyatoslav Pavlenko in the 28th minute got a chance for a shot 28th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye U21 England's goalie prevented a goal. If Seth Hedges had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 38th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Pete Elding's late challenge caught a U21 Ukraine's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Pete Elding helped the player get up and apologised. After 40 played minutes U21 England got a freekick which was hit by Pete Elding. Andriy Yarmolenko charged in rather forcefully in the 41st minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Andriy Yarmolenko the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. Andriy Yarmolenko kicked well hit freekick during the 41st minute of the match. Lyubomyr Zhelikhovskyj stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Richie Bannister's shot from short distance in the 45th minute. When Seth Hedges fell near the penalty area in the 47th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored U21 England's protests and gave Seth Hedges a yellow card for diving instead.

The wind increased when Illja Voronkov made the kick off in the second half. If Stew Gregory had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 53rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Lyubomyr Zhelikhovskyj made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Richie Bannister in the 57th minute of play. Anatoliy Nitsetskyi hit a great freekick 59 minutes into the match. In the 60th match minute, U21 Ukraine was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Dmytro Lebidj to maneuver through the defense. When U21 England's Richie Bannister in the 61st minute got a chance for a shot 61st didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye U21 Ukraine's goalie prevented a goal. U21 England's Piers Paine played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Illja Voronkov in the 64th minute of play. Anatoliy Nitsetskyi struck a weak shot in the 66th minute. Piers Paine didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for U21 Ukraine. U21 England made a substitution. Stuart Milligan replaced Jake Britton. U21 Ukraine made a substitution. Fedir Kulakovskyi replaced Illja Voronkov. After having played for 75 minutes, Svyatoslav Pavlenko managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. U21 Ukraine's supporters crossed their fingers, but Svyatoslav Pavlenko was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Lyubomyr Zhelikhovskyj showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Joe Thackray, who was totally free with the ball in the 76th minute. Svyatoslav Pavlenko kicked well hit freekick during the 90th minute of the match. Lyubomyr Zhelikhovskyj showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Franz Rice in the 90th minute of the match. Lyubomyr Zhelikhovskyj didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Joe Thackray went, in the 92nd minute, to the upper right corner, 3-1 was the resulting score. The audience thought a goal was coming when Anatoliy Nitsetskyi got free with Piers Paine in the 95th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. U21 England's fans were exulted and cheered after their team won in a match that could easily have gone the other way.