Coming into Euro 2016 the Ukrainians were keen to atone for their poor showing at the 2012 tournament, which they co-hosted alongside Poland.
However, with just one final group game against Poland, they have already booked their ticket home after consecutive 2-0 losses against Germany and Northern Ireland respectively.
Despite being able to equal the points total of the third placed Northern Ireland with a victory in their final game they cannot progress as one of the four best third-placed teams, as the first tie-breaker for equal points is on head-to-head.
In a group that represented a strong opportunity of progression to the knockout stages, Ukraine will be bitterly disappointed.
The Synyo-Zhovti could only muster glimpses of their best form during the opening two matches and will rue their inability to take their chances against Germany and clinch a precious and confidence building result.
Star wingers Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka are the side’s best duo, but the former in particular has failed to live up to his billing.
In the game against Northern Ireland he was curtailed by experienced West Brom defender Jonny Evans, who restricted the time and space he had on the ball.
Konoplyanka has been the more likely of the pair and been the main creative outlet for the the world’s 19th ranked team, however it’s hardly fair to blame your wide players for poor results.
Two of three forwards in the squad are culpable in Yevhen Seleznyov and Roman Zozulya, who have both failed to impress and find the back of the net.
The midfield may have shown they have the ability to control the tempo of a game, particularly against Northern Ireland and at critical stages of their encounter with Germany.
When you consider the fact they had 69% possession against Northern Ireland and could only muster four shots on target, it paints a rather drab picture.
Add the three shots on target against Germany and seven shots on goal over the course of 180 minutes is hardly anything to write home about.
And this may come as a shock, but the defence has arguably been one of their strong suits, especially when two of the injury time goals scored against them are a result of chasing an invaluable point.
The defence has shown a willingness to get physical and the ball has been played out of the back with an air of confidence.
Ukraine’s profligacy in attack has hurt them dearly and the weak link, goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov’s past came back to haunt him and the country.
The shot-stopper misjudged the flight of a German corner for the opening goal, allowing Shkodran Mustafi with the opportunity to head home – a goal that sparked their demise.
As a minimum requirement, any side sitting in the world’s top 20 would expect to reach the knockout stages and agonisingly for Ukraine they are experiencing an abject failure for the second successive time.
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