Ian Maatsen and the Netherlands suffered a painful exit from the European Under-21 Championship despite ending the group stage undefeated, but Mykhailo Mudryk still has a chance of making his mark on the competition after Ukraine ended Group B in second place following an entertaining draw with Spain.
Just like in their previous two matches in Georgia, Ian Maatsen came off the bench for the Netherlands in the second half, this time the wing-back attempting to add some energy to the side on the left as they chased in vain for the second goal they needed to progress.
The Dutch had started the day with their fate in their own hands, knowing a win over co-hosts Georgia would put them through to the knock-out stages. However, their opponents were eager to go through too, roared on by the passionate home fans which saw this match played in front of the largest crowd ever recorded at an Under-21 Euros.
The Netherlands fell behind to a fine solo effort late in the first half, having twice hit the woodwork early on, but equalised in the sixth minute of stoppage time before the break, meaning they were briefly ahead of Belgium in second place and heading to the quarter-finals, by virtue of their better disciplinary record.
Developments in the other game sealed their fate, though, as by the middle of the second half Belgium were drawing 1-1, moving them ahead on goals scored, before a late winner against them by Portugal saw the latter jump both teams to grab second place themselves. Maatsen contributed to a late push by the Netherlands, who had 24 of the match’s 31 shots, but couldn’t find a goal and ultimately three draws in as many games was not enough for a place in the last eight.
Mykhailo Mudryk was forced to watch Ukraine’s last group game from the sidelines due to a calf injury which has kept him out of the tournament so far, although manager Ruslan Rotan remains hopeful he will be available for the knock-out stages. They were already secured of their place in the quarter-finals after winning their first two games, before facing Spain to decide the group winners.
It looked like that would be Ukraine when they took the lead for the second time in the match from the penalty spot with less than 10 minutes remaining, but a last-minute equaliser means it is Spain who finished first on goal difference.
Ukraine will now play their quarter-final at 7pm UK time on Sunday 2 July, against the winners of a wide-open Group D, which could still be any of France, Italy or Switzerland, although the French have a three-point lead going into the final games.