BBC’s Ashley Williams blown away by West Ham star Andriy Yarmolenko for Ukraine v Sweden
West Ham winger Andriy Yarmolenko lit up the Euro 2020 round of 16 clash between Ukraine and Sweden on Tuesday night with a sublime assist.
The 31-year-old started for Ukraine as they aimed to progress into a quarter-final against Declan Rice’s England, after The Three Lions booked their place following a 2-0 win over Germany earlier in the day.
Yarmolenko starred for his national team in the group stage of the tournament, scoring in their first two games against the Netherlands and North Macedonia.
He was on top form once again on Tuesday, providing the assist for Oleksandar Zinchenko’s opener with a sensational cross that left former Premier League defender Ashley Williams stunned.
The ex-Wales international told the BBC [29/06/21]: “That’s an unbelievable ball from Yarmolenko who’s had a really good half.
“It’s an unbelievable outside of the boot cross and Zinchenko’s just put his foot straight through it.
“That ball there is just so inviting for Zinchenko to come and hit that.”
Top-class
It was a stunning piece of individual skill for Ukraine’s talisman, a moment of pure genius.
He may not have proven himself as a top-class performer at West Ham, but there’s no doubting his quality on the international stage.
Sweden had just started to look threatening when Yarmolenko pulled off an outrageous pass to find Manchester City’s Zinchenko, who fired home to give Ukraine the lead which was later pegged back by Emile Forsberg in the first half.
That Yarmolenko pass was partly born out of his major deficiency – his right foot.
Most players would have attempted the cross with their right foot if they were desperate to make the pass, but Yarmolenko is long enough in the tooth to know he has a much greater possibility of making the pass with the outside of his left.
It helped to put his national side in the lead, and it surely left a lot of Irons fans scratching their head, wondering where that has been for West Ham in recent seasons, though injuries have scuppered his progress.
His future at the London Stadium looks uncertain, but we won’t mind him hanging around if he can produce that for us on a more regular basis.
In other West Ham news, ITV pundit moots Irons transfer for ‘Magnificent’ Moyes-loved EUROs ace live on-air on Sunday.
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