Slovenia vs. Ukraine: Winners and Losers from Euro 2016 Playoff
Ukraine are on the verge of qualifying for Euro 2016 following a 2-0 home win over Slovenia on Saturday in Lviv.
The hosts went ahead through Andriy Yarmolenko in the 22nd minute and doubled their advantage on Yevhen Seleznyov's close-range strike in the second half.
Slovenia will host the second leg of the play-off on Tuesday.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Andriy Yarmolenko
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Ukraine's Andriy Yarmolenko made a menace of himself throughout the night on the right flank and scored a good goal in the 22nd minute.
After Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovic swatted away a cross driven into his box, the ball dropped to Yarmolenko on the right. The winger beat three defenders with a nice pull-back before firing low into the net at the far post.
The key to the goal was Yarmolenko's outstanding turn, which he accomplished by dropping his shoulder to confuse Slovenia's defenders. From there, the 26-year-old placed his shot well across Handanovic's body and into the far corner.
Per UEFA's official Twitter account, Yarmolenko's 21 goals are the second most in Ukraine's history, behind only Andriy Shevchenko's 48. UEFA also noted that Shevchenko scored his 48 goals in about twice the number of games Yarmolenko has played for Ukraine, so the latter has a decent shot at the record if he continues at his current pace.
In the second half, Yarmolenko turned provider, picking out Artem Fedetskiy's overlapping run with a good pass. Fedetskiy crossed to the back post, where Yevhen Seleznyov tapped in unmarked.
As Yarmolenko showed on Saturday, he poses a threat as both a goalscorer and creator. Ukraine will need him to continue in both roles in the second leg.
Loser: Bojan Jokic
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Bojan Jokic was one of the Slovenian defenders Yarmolenko outwitted for the opening goal. That's not necessarily anything to be ashamed of. Yarmolenko is a tricky player with excellent ball skills.
But Jokic was also at fault for Ukraine's second goal, failing to track Fedetskiy as he overlapped and ran onto Yarmolenko's pass down Slovenia's left. Fedetskiy then provided the cross that Seleznyov finished from close range.
For most of the 90 minutes, Jokic had a torrid time defending his side of the pitch. Slovenia will have to find some way to give him some help in the second leg—or else consider a change in that position.
Winner: Ukraine in Lviv
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Ukraine's decision to play Saturday's match in Lviv was no surprise. As UEFA.com noted before kick-off, the team had won 11 of their previous international matches at the Arena Lviv, drawing the other two.
That impressive record continued. Now, through 14 matches, Ukraine have won 12 and drawn two in fortress Lviv.
Loser: Slovenia Taking Their Chances
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Slovenia finished the match without placing a shot on target and failed to test Andriy Pyatov in Ukraine's goal. But the visitors did create a few good chances in the first half.
In the 27th minute, Valter Birsa opened up Ukraine's defense with a great cross. The ball was headed down to Josip Ilicic, who blasted over with his first touch. The latter probably had time to take a touch before shooting.
Two minutes later, Birsa took advantage of a poor touch by Ukraine to run behind the hosts' defense. He squared to an unmarked Milivoje Novakovic in the box, but Novakovic was unable control the ball. The chance passed without a shot.
Had Slovenia taken one or both of those chances, Saturday's game probably would have turned out much differently. As it stands, Srecko Katanec's men face a tough task to make up a two-goal deficit in the second leg.
Loser: History
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Coming into this two-legged tie, Slovenia had won three of four play-offs for major tournaments. One of those was for Euro 2000, when they defeated Ukraine to reach the final tournament in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Ukraine, on the other hand, have lost all five previous play-offs for major tournaments. Both of those records are now in jeopardy.
Following Saturday's confident win, Ukraine must fancy their chances to advance. And you can't blame them. Mikhail Fomenko's side were the better team in the first leg and only need a draw—or even a narrow defeat—in Slovenia in order to advance to Euro 2016.
