Tino Livramento suffered last-minute heartbreak as England U21s lost in stoppage time to Ukraine last night, while Martin Dubravka played a huge role to put Slovakia on the verge of qualifying for Euro 2024.
It was Livramento’s first start for the young lions in 18 months, giving him more valuable minutes after a long spell out with an ACL injury. However, it was a tough start for the 20-year-old, as an in form Ukraine side raced into a 2-0 lead.
Despite England’s late equaliser in the 89th minute, Lee Carsley’s side fell their first defeat in qualifying thanks to a 94th minute winner. Livramento had already been subbed off at this point, but it was a cruel defeat after last week’s 9-1 win over Serbia.
As for Dubravka, the Slovakian enjoyed a crucial 1-0 victory over Luxembourg, where he put in a man of the match performance to help his nation move another massive step closer to Euro 2024.
The win sent them four points clear of their opponents with just two games left, leaving them on the brink of qualifying for Germany’s European Championships next year.
This came off the back of Dubravka’s great showing against Portugal, where the 34-year-old made nine stops in total and one stunning double save in a 3-2 defeat to the leaders of Group J.
