Liga Natsy: Lucescu at the heart of the scandal and other outcomes of the fifth round
Match of the Day
The central match of the fifth round of the League of Nations was the meeting between the national teams of Ukraine and Armenia in Lviv. Both teams approached the match with different motivations. The Ukrainians needed a victory to maintain their chances of reaching the playoffs of the tournament, while the Armenians were already out of contention for a place in the top four and were playing for the prestige of the national team jersey.
The hosts took the lead in the 22nd minute when Andriy Yarmolenko converted a penalty. However, the Armenians managed to equalize in the second half, when Tigran Barseghyan scored a goal. The match ended in a 1:1 draw.
Other matches of the round
In the other matches of the round, Scotland defeated Albania 2:0, Ireland defeated Armenia 3:2, and Northern Ireland drew 2:2 with Cyprus.
Scandal in the Ukrainian national team
Before the match with Armenia, the head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Mircea Lucescu, was involved in a scandal.
The scandal erupted after Lucescu excluded Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Mykhailo Mudryk from the team's application for the September matches of the League of Nations. A number of Ukrainian journalists and experts criticized Lucescu's decision, and Mudryk himself said that he was "surprised and disappointed" by the coach's decision.
Lucescu later explained that he excluded Mudryk from the team's application because he was not happy with the player's attitude. However, many experts believe that the real reason for Lucescu's decision was personal animosity towards Mudryk, as the player had previously criticized the coach's tactics.
The scandal surrounding Lucescu has damaged the atmosphere in the Ukrainian national team and has cast doubt on the coach's future.
Conclusions
The fifth round of the League of Nations was marked by a number of interesting matches and scandals. The draw between Ukraine and Armenia leaves the Ukrainians with a small chance of reaching the playoffs, while the victory of Scotland over Albania allows the Scots to move up to second place in their group. In the Ukrainian national team, there is a scandal surrounding the head coach, Mircea Lucescu, who excluded midfielder Mykhailo Mudryk from the team's application for the September matches of the League of Nations.
