On 9 October 1999, a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

match took place between Russia and Ukraine in Moscow at Luzhniki Stadium. It was the final match for both nations in group 4 in the

qualifying tournament Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...

for UEFA Euro 2000.

Overview

The match ended in a 1–1 score, which combined with other results left Ukraine in second place behind France. Russia fell to third place and were eliminated from qualifying. Ukraine qualified for a two-match play-off, which they lost to Slovenia. In addition to the football ramifications, the match had a wider significance as a match between two neighboring former Soviet countries. The match was attended by many Russian celebrities as well the Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin. This match, and the earlier match between the nations in Euro 2000 qualifying, which Ukraine won 3–2, remain the only times Russia and Ukraine have faced each other in official competition. Entering the match, Russia needed a win to guarantee progression to the Euro 2000, while Ukraine only needed a draw to at least guarantee at least 2nd place and thus a play-off. Needing a win, Russia was on the attack much of the game looking for a go-ahead goal. In the 75th minute

Valeri Karpin Valery Georgiyevich Karpin (russian: Валерий Георгиевич Карпин; born 2 February 1969) is a football manager and former player who manages FC Rostov and the Russian national team. He is a former midfielder, primarily a ri ...

finally opened the scoring with a powerful free kick. This appeared to provide Russia the result they needed, and Ukraine appeared to be heading out of qualifying. However, in the 87th minute,

Andriy Shevchenko Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko, or Andrii Mykolaiovych Shevchenko ( uk, Андрій Миколайович Шевченко, ; born 29 September 1976) is a Ukrainian football manager, a former professional football player and a former politici ...

took a long free kick sending the ball towards the Russian goal. The shot appeared to be savable; however, Russian goalkeeper

Aleksandr Filimonov Aleksandr Vladimirovich Filimonov (russian: Александр Владимирович Филимонов; born 15 October 1973) is a former association football goalkeeper from Russia. He won the 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup with the Rus ...

was surprised by the effort and, trying to catch the ball, knocked it into the goal.

Match

Details

Aftermath

The two Euro 2000 qualifiers remain the only time that Russia and Ukraine have played each other in an international "A" match, giving Ukraine the head-to-head advantage of one win and one draw. Following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014, UEFA decreed that representative teams from either nation at club and international level cannot play against each other outside of knockout competitions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russia vs Ukraine (1999) Ukraine, 1999 Russia, 1999 UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying 1999 in Russian football 1999–2000 in Ukrainian football UEFA European Championship matches October 1999 sports events in Europe 1999 in Moscow Sports competitions in Moscow Football in Moscow