Rybalka’s treble fuels Ukraine fightback
Ukraine 5Malta 1 Serhiy Rybalka dented Malta’s hopes of a positive result in their final UEFA Championship qualifier as the Ukrainian midfielder took centre stage with a well-taken hat-trick that propelled his team to a 5-1 win in Obolon yesterday. An...
Ukraine 5
Malta 1
Serhiy Rybalka dented Malta’s hopes of a positive result in their final UEFA Championship qualifier as the Ukrainian midfielder took centre stage with a well-taken hat-trick that propelled his team to a 5-1 win in Obolon yesterday.
An upset looked on the cards when Terrence Vella gave Malta the lead midway through the first half.
But the hosts fought back admirably and Rybalka eased their nerves when netting three times before goals from Dmytro Korishko and Dmytro Grechyshkin com-pleted a comfortable victory for the Ukrainians that kept them in the running for a top-two position in Group 2.
Ray Farrugia’s team looked composed in the opening stages of the match and their organised play was rewarded with an opener on 21 minutes when Vella rifled the ball past Ukrainian goalkeeper Igor Berezovksiy.
But the Ukrainians took just five minutes to draw level when Rybalka was first to an Andriy Bogdanov corner to shoot the ball into the net.
The Maltese suffered a blow on 32 minutes when Rowen Muscat was injured. He was replaced by Clyde Borg. But despite this setback, the visitors held off their opponents to go into the interval level.
But all that changed on the restart as the Ukrainians struck three times in the opening 15 minutes to all but settle the match.
Rybalka put Ukraine in front three minutes from the restart before Korishko made it 3-1 on 55 minutes.
The Maltese were stunned and Rybalka completed his hat-trick on 59 minutes to put hosts in the driving seat.
The match was over as a contest now but the Ukrainians still had time to add a fifth goal a minute from time thorugh Grechyshkin.
UKRAINE: I. Berezovskiy, D. Kushnirov, T. Partsvaniya, I. Putrash (36 V. Balashov), D. Korkishko, A. Bogdanov, S. Rybalka, V. Fedotov, S. Kryvtsov (79 I. Plastun), S. Lyulka, D. Grechyshkin.
MALTA: S. Sultana, R. Camenzuli (58 L. Micallef), L. Martinelli, Z. Muscat, R. Muscat (32 C. Borg), T. Vella (86 D. Falzon), M. Scerri, R. Scicluna, B. Kristensen, Y. Camilleri, M. Gauci.
Referee: Orel Grinfeld (Israel).