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Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk scored an incredible solo goal to help Ukraine beat Malta 3-1 in their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier on 17 October.
The Ukrainians knew they needed to win to keep their qualification hopes alive in a group that also has Italy and England. Malta's Paul Mbong scored in the 12th minute to give the hosts a shock lead.
Ryan Camenzuli's own goal and Artem Dovbyk's 43rd-minute penalty, however, put the visitors in front. Mudryk had a chance to score his team's third goal in first-half stoppage time.
Malta's goalkeeper Henry Bonelio rushed out of his line to clear the ball. But the ball could only make its way to Mudryk, who failed to lob the goalkeeper with a first-time left-footed attempt from outside the box.
The 22-year-old, however, found his way onto the scoresheet five minutes from time with one of the finest goals scored in the competition thus far. He received the ball around the midway line, taking on Malta defenders before cutting inside from the left flank and unleashing a long-range shot into the far corner.
Mudryk hasn't had the best start to life in west London since his £88.5 million move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January. He has scored just once in his 25 club appearances across competitions for the English giants.
Fans will hope Mudryk's performance against Malta can jump-start his career at Chelsea, who will be eager to see their investment pay dividends. Despite back-to-back wins, the Blues still sit in the bottom half of the table (11th) with 11 points from eight matches.
Mykhailo Mudryk will hope to feature for Chelsea as Arsenal showdown beckons
Mykhailo Mudryk did his part in Ukraine's two wins during the October international break.
The winger started both games — a 2-0 win against North Macedonia and the win against Malta — to help his team reach second in the standings. England (16) lead the Group C table after six matches while Italy are in third with 10 points.
Ukraine have played one more game and sit in second with 13 points to their name. Mudryk will hope his performances were enough to impress Mauricio Pochettino, who has handed him just three league starts this term.
A good performance against Arsenal, albeit from the bench, could change his fortunes at Chelsea. The two teams will face off in a much-awaited Premier League encounter on 21 October at Stamford Bridge.
The Gunners are level on points with league leaders Tottenham Hotspur, who lead the table on goals scored.
