Ukraine opens Nations League campaign with 1-0 victory in Hungary

Ukraine started their UEFA Nations League 2026/27 campaign with a 1-0 away win against Hungary in Budapest on September 25, securing head coach Andrea Maldera's first victory in charge. Danylo Sikan opened the scoring in the 42nd minute with a header from Georgiy Sudakov's cross. Hungary nearly broke the deadlock early when Dániel Lukács hit the crossbar in the 11th minute, after a knockdown by András Schäfer.

Ukraine's attempts to equalize came from Viktor Tsygankov, who saw his shot hit the post, and Dmytro Riznyk repelling two dangerous efforts from Hungary's Milan Tóth. Despite a late substitution by Ukraine, the match concluded with the home team retaining their one-point lead. Both Ukraine and Northern Ireland achieved three points on the opening day of the competition.

Northern Ireland's victory against Georgia came after Shea Charles scored in the ninth minute of stoppage time. Ukraine will face Georgia away on September 28, with the match scheduled for 7 p.m. Kyiv time.