POPOVI, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Interstat) — The Ukraine under-19 women’s national team opened its UEFA U19 Championship Qualification campaign with a dominant 5-0 victory over San Marino under-19 on Saturday at Stadion Etno Selo Stanisići.

From the opening whistle, Ukraine asserted control, overwhelming the San Marino defense and finding the net five times in a comprehensive display. The result improved Ukraine’s record to one win and zero losses in the qualification group, while San Marino fell to zero wins and one loss.

The Ukrainian attack was relentless, with defender Diana Tkachuk leading the way with a brace. She opened the scoring in the 15th minute, setting the tone for a first-half onslaught. Midfielder Veronika Holovanchuk doubled the advantage just four minutes later, finding the net in the 19th minute.

Defender Yevheniia Bielova extended the lead to three goals in the 25th minute, demonstrating Ukraine’s threat from all areas of the pitch. Midfielder Emiliia Kanakhovska put the result beyond any doubt before halftime, scoring Ukraine’s fourth goal in the 38th minute.

The scoring was rounded out by Tkachuk once more, who netted her second of the match in the 89th minute to seal the 5-0 final.

Ukraine’s defensive unit was notably involved in the offense. Along with the goals from Tkachuk and Bielova, defender Alina Savka recorded an assist. The midfield was also instrumental, with Anna Avramenko contributing an assist. For San Marino, substitute Anna Benedettini was credited with an assist on an unspecified play.

The match was not without its physical confrontations, as evidenced by three yellow cards. Ukraine’s Alina Savka was booked in the 31st minute, and Anna Avramenko received a caution in the 47th minute. San Marino’s Anna Benedettini was shown a yellow card in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.

The final scoreline surpassed the pre-game projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had predicted a 4-0 victory for Ukraine. The same analytics service gave Ukraine a 73.30 percent probability of winning the European qualification match.

The victory provides a strong start for Ukraine U19 as it seeks to advance in the UEFA U19 Championship Qualification tournament. San Marino U19 will look to regroup after a difficult opening fixture in the European competition.