Reeling from an opening 3-0 defeat to Romania and a goal down at half-time against Slovakia, Ukraine were staring Euro 2024 elimination in the face.
Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk did not have the best opening 45 minutes against Francesco Calzona’s men, as he failed to take advantage of some promising positions, only for his final ball to disappoint.
But the 23-year-old stepped up when his country needed him to, as his influence grew after the break and while he didn’t score a goal or register an assist, he was in the thick of the action and involved in everything Ukraine created.
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Goals from Mykola Shaparenko and Roman Yaremchuk sealed a 2-1 win that puts Ukraine right back in the shake-up for last-16 qualification - but did Mudryk call on some unlikely inspiration?
Chelsea fans will be all too aware of the forward’s penchant for quirky shinpads after he revealed the inspirational message inscribed on the pair that he was wearing when the £89million signing scored his first Blues goal back in November.
‘Can’t, Can’t, Can’t, Can!’ they read and they appeared to do the trick as he got on the scoresheet in a 2-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
And he’s now got a new pair of shinpads for Euro 2024, although he’s going for the cuteness factor and a reminder of home, rather than a personal mantra.
Mykhailo Mudryk's shinpads 🥹#EURO2024 | #SVKUKR pic.twitter.com/VjHATcFuviJune 21, 2024
That’s because his latest shinpads feature his pet cat, who has been a regular staple on his social media posts since 2021.
And it was perhaps it was his feline friend who inspired the former Shakhtar Donetsk man to produce a game-turning performance.
Ukraine face a wounded Belgium side in their final group game on Wednesday and will have a clearer idea of the permutations for progression after the Red Devils take on Romania on Saturday evening.
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