Ukraine were eliminated from Euro 2024 after they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw with Belgium in Stuttgart.
Serhiy Rebrov's side were arguably the more deserving of the victory after late chances fell the way of Ruslan Malinovskyi and Georgiy Sudakov, both of whom were denied by Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels.
Amassing four points from three games, Ukraine exited the tournament in dramatic fashion as their players sunk to the floor following the stalemate. A negative goal difference meant they would go no further at the tournament, but they did achieve a brand-new feat in the process.
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Despite their total of 4 points, Ukraine became the first-ever team at a European Championships to be eliminated with their tally. A 3-0 defeat to Romania in their opening Group E encounter proved pivotal, as their exit eventually came down to goal difference.
A harsh way to be sent home, the month-long tournament's new format has drawn criticism from pundits and former pros alike, with BBC's Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer especially disheartened, given Belgium's poor showings in front of goal at the MHPArena.
"You mentioned it didn't you about the system being flawed, I think the vast majority of the third games bar Austria v Netherlands has been really poor," began Shearer shortly after the full-time whistle sounded. "This game was sort of the same and sort of summed the [whole system] up."
"Ukraine were the better team and it is a miracle that their team are here and their fans are in the stadium with everything they have gone through. They can be very proud of their efforts."
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