The turning point came when Zozulya managed to elude Abidal’s marking, executing a one-two with Yarmolenko before confidently beating Hugo Lloris. France attempted to mount a response, but their efforts proved futile. Abidal, having narrowly escaped conceding a penalty earlier, almost cost his team again.
However, Laurent Koscielny was not as fortunate. His error in the penalty area allowed Yarmolenko to extend Ukraine’s lead. Towards the end of the match, Koscielny received a red card, leaving France with only 10 players on the field. Similarly, Kucher from the Ukrainian side also received a red card and departed before his teammates.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Ukraine held firm, maintaining their advantage and securing a favorable position heading into the return match scheduled for next Tuesday. The French team faces an uphill battle to overturn the deficit and secure their spot in the 2014 World Cup.
