Women's EURO 2025: Ukraine defeats Croatia to secure playoff spot from second place

16.07.2024 21:57

Today, with a match against Croatia in the capital of North Macedonia, Skopje, at the stadium of the local football federation's training center, the Ukraine women's national team concluded the group stage of the EURO 2025 qualification tournament.

Our team had already secured a spot in the playoff qualification, but a victory in Skopje allowed the Blue and Yellows to advance from second place. Volodymyr Pyatenko's squad managed to accomplish this task.

Photo by Oksana Vasylieva

The first half started with a noticeable advantage for the Ukrainians, who created several dangerous chances near the opponents' goal. However, they only managed to open the score in the 31st minute. Veronika Andrukhiv broke through on the right flank and delivered a cross to the penalty spot. There, Kateryna Korsun was waiting, and she accurately headed the ball into the net — 1:0.

Just four minutes later, the Ukrainians doubled their lead. Yana Kalinina capitalized on a mistake by a Croatian defender, intercepted the ball, and passed it to Roksolana Kravchuk. The latter scored from close range.

Photo by Oksana Vasylieva

After the break, the Blue and Yellows continued to dominate and create chances. The best of them came in the 72nd minute, but Nicole Kozlova missed the target with a header from just a meter away.

Nevertheless, 2:0 — the victory for Ukraine, who earned 11 points and finished the group stage in second place.

Photo by Oksana Vasylieva

Women's EURO 2025. Qualification Tournament. League B. Group 4

Ukraine — Croatia — 2:0 (2:0)

Goals: Korsun (31), Kravchuk (35).

Ukraine: Kelyushyk, Korsun, Apanaschenko (c) (Kotyk, 90+2), Shmatko, Basanska, Petryk (Molodyuk, 83), Khimych, Andrukhiv, Ovdiychuk (Hlushchenko, 74), Kalinina (Semkiv, 83), Kravchuk (Kozlova, 46).

Coach: Volodymyr Pyatenko.

Croatia: Bacic (c), Jelencic, Vracevic, Nevrkla, Dulcic (Orcic, 62), Krznaric, Slipcevic (Lushtina, 46), Mikulica (Lojna, 46), Lubina, Markovic, Pezel (Chanevac, 46).

Coach: Nenad Gracan.

Referee: Louise Thompson (Northern Ireland).

Booked: Kravchuk (33), Hlushchenko (87) — Krznaric (43), Dulcic (54).

July 16. Skopje. FFM Training Center.

Women's EURO 2025. Qualification Tournament. League B. Group 4

Matchday 1

05.04.2024

Ukraine — Kosovo — 2:0

Wales — Croatia — 4:0

Matchday 2

09.04.2024

Croatia — Ukraine — 1:0

Kosovo — Wales — 0:6

Matchday 3

31.05.2024

Wales — Ukraine — 1:1

Kosovo — Croatia — 0:1

Matchday 4

04.06.2024

Ukraine — Wales — 2:2

Croatia — Kosovo — 2:0

Matchday 5

12.07.2024

Kosovo — Ukraine — 0:4

Croatia — Wales — 0:3

Matchday 6

16.07.2024

Ukraine — Croatia — 2:0

Wales — Kosovo — 2:0

Standings

The results of the Women's EURO 2025 Qualifiers draw

League A

Group A1: Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Finland.

Group A2: Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Czechia.

Group A3: France, England, Sweden, Ireland.

Group A4: Germany, Austria, Iceland, Poland.

League B.

Group B1: Switzerland, Hungary, Turkey, Azerbaijan.

Group B2: Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Israel.

Group B3: Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Malta.

Group B4: Wales, Croatia, Ukraine, Kosovo.

League C.

Group C1: Belarus, Lithuania, Cyprus, Georgia.

Group C2: Slovenia, Latvia, North Macedonia, Moldova.

Group C3: Greece, Montenegro, Andorra, Faroe Islands.

Group C4: Romania, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Armenia.

Group C5: Albania, Estonia, Luxembourg.

The distribution of tickets for EURO 2025 takes place based on the results of the next league cycle. The teams compete in groups of four or three teams (League C). The eight best teams in League A (first and second places) immediately go to the final tournament. There they join the host country, Switzerland.

The remaining seven passes are to be played in two rounds of playoffs. In the one-way first round, the third- and fourth-placed teams in League A face the group winners and the top three second-placed teams in League C. The eight winners advance to the second round.

Elsewhere, the four group winners and the top two runners-up in League B play the remaining two runners-up and the four third-placed teams in League B. The six winners advance to the second round.

In the second round of the playoffs, 14 national teams directly play for seven tickets to the final tournament of EURO 2025, where a total of 16 participants play.

The paths of the teams in the play-off matches are to be adjusted, taking into account the performances of Switzerland, which plays in League B, but will be represented at the Euro as the host country.

If Switzerland finishes first, second, or third in their B League group, the fourth-best team from that division will enter the playoffs.

Promotion and relegation

In parallel, teams will also compete for positions in the next Nations League, which begins the 2025-2027 cycle:

— winners, holders of second and third places in League A groups will remain in League A;

— the second-place winners and the three best third-place winners in League B groups will remain in League B;

— the winners of the second, third, and fourth places in the groups of League C will remain in League C;

— the winners of the groups in the B and C leagues will move to the higher division;

The fourth-place finishers in League A and B groups and the worst third-place finisher in League B will be relegated.

Women's EURO Qualifiers. Calendar

Matches 1—2 rounds: April 3-9, 2024.

Matches 3—4 rounds: May 29 - June 4, 2024.

Matches 5—6 rounds: July 10-16, 2024.

Playoff draw: July 19, 2024

1st round of playoffs (2 matches): October 23-29, 2024.

2nd round of playoffs (2 matches): November 27 - December 3, 2024.

Final tournament draw: December 16, 2024.

Final tournament: July 2-27, 2025 (Switzerland).