Another assist for Mudryk but Ukraine lose to Spain; England beat Israel in U21 Euros semifinals

Mykhailo Mudryk’s U21 European Championship is over — thankfully this tournament has done away with the silliness that is the third-place game — after Spain swatted Ukraine aside in the semifinals last night, 5-1, advancing to their fifth final in the last seven editions.

Spain’s victory may not have been on the cards early, when Ukraine jumped out to a 1-0 lead, thanks to yet another setup from our man Misha, who burst down the left and put in a cutback that found Artem Bondarenko for a first-time finish in the 13th minute. That’s two assists plus a penalty won in just two games for Mudryk, so hopefully that is something he can build upon for the new season.

Spain equalized a few minutes later, took the lead a few minutes after that before adding three more in the second half. They will prove a big test for England, who kept yet another clean sheet in their 3-0 win over Israel in the other semifinals. England still haven’t conceded a goal in the tournament, with Levi Colwill once again solid and confident and composed in the heart of the defense.

Noni Madueke was surprisingly dropped to the bench and featured for only the final ten minutes, by which time all the scoring was done. Perhaps he was just being rested for the final.