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Dovbyk and Tsyhankov: The Ukrainian Duo Lighting it Up at Girona

Dovbyk and Tsyhankov: The Ukrainian Duo Lighting it Up at Girona

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Euro 2024 is finally underway, and all throughout the tournament, there are various compatriots who will be looking to build on the chemistry that they formed whilst playing at a former club. After guiding Bologna to their first Champions League berth in 60 years, Swiss trio Dan Ndoye, Michel Aebischer and Remo Freuler will be hoping to lead the Rossocrociati to yet another deep Euros run after arriving on the doorsteps of the semifinals in 2021. Croatian duo Mateo Kovačić and Joško Gvardiol are eyeing a lengthy campaign in Germany after winning the Premier League title in their first season at Manchester City, whilst French triumvirate Aurélien Tchouaméni, Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga look set to play a vital role for Les Bleus this summer, having played their part in Real Madrid’s Champions League and league double under Carlo Ancelotti.

By Zach Lowy

Los Blancos finished 10 points clear of Barcelona, 19 above Atlético Madrid, and 14 above Girona, who became the first team outside of Barcelona, Real and Atleti to finish in LaLiga’s top three since Unai Emery’s Valencia did it in 2011/12. Having finished 10th last season in their return to the top-flight, Girona delivered an unforgettable Cinderella Story in just the fourth top-flight campaign of the club’s history and managed to challenge Real Madrid for the league title for the first half of the campaign. Whilst they ultimately fell short of a first major trophy, the Blanquivermells have nevertheless secured their first-ever European qualification and will be playing in the UEFA Champions League next season, and two players who have proven instrumental are Ukrainian forwards Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsyhankov.

Girona’s Ukrainian Tandem

Over the past half-century, Ukraine have been blessed with a plethora of world-class forwards, with Dynamo Kyiv’s Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov winning the Ballon d’Or in 1975 and 1986 and competing for the Soviet Union national team, whilst Andriy Shevchenko got his hands on the award in 2005. Shevchenko would hang up his boots after the 2012 Euros, which Poland co-host with Ukraine, scoring a brace in their opening match and willing them to a 2-1 victory against Sweden. However, back-to-back defeats to France and England would see him crash out at the group stage, retiring with 48 goals in 111 appearances for the national team.

It has taken 12 years, but it seems that Ukraine have finally found an attack that, collectively, is capable of filling Shevchenko’s void. Mykhailo Mudryk has made the move to Chelsea for €70 million after impressing at Shakhtar with his electrifying past and devastating dribbling prowess, Georgiy Sudakov looks to become the next Shakhtar star to secure a big-money transfer after spearheading the Miners to a domestic double, whilst captain Andriy Yarmolenko continues to go strong at 34 and finds himself just three goals away from surpassing Shevchenko as the country’s all-time leading scorer. However, in Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsyhankov, they have two potential difference-makers who could play a pivotal in attack for Serhiy Rebrov’s side.

Both players showed plenty of promise from an early age, with Dovbyk becoming the youngest scorer in FC Cherkashchyna’s history after bagging a goal at 17 years and 55 days of age, following that up with a hat-trick two months later and proceeding to win the second division title. This secured him a transfer to domestic giants Dnipro, with Dovbyk having to bide his time and head out on loan to Moldova, only to score a joint-team high 6 goals and win the Ukrainian Premier League Young Player of the Year award, prompting Shevchenko to select him for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Dovbyk would stay with the team after they were relegated due to incurring debt, scoring 12 goals in 13 matches in the second tier before heading to FC Midtjylland on a free transfer in 2018, where he would win the league title and the cup in his debut campaign, before winning the Danish Cup again the following year whilst playing on loan at SønderjyskE.

He would return to his former stomping grounds in 2020 and signed with the recently established Dnipro-1, where he would enjoy a stellar 2022/23 campaign that saw him score two hat-tricks and finish as the league’s top scorer with 24 goals, 11 clear of second-place Nazariy Rusyn, before earning a move to Girona for a club-record €7m in the summer of 2023.

As for Tsyhankov, he quickly emerged as one of the most promising youngsters in Ukraine, making his debut for Dynamo Kyiv in August 2016 and earning a maiden call-up to the national team just two months later. He didn’t take long to establish himself as the chief attacking force at the NSC Olimpiyskiy, winning the league’s Player of the Month award on three occasions in 2018/19, registering 94 goals and 64 assists in 236 appearances, and cutting his teeth in the Champions League and Europa League. Tsyhankov would finally depart Dynamo Kyiv after 12 years and head to Girona in January 2023, with his boyhood club receiving €5 million fee and a 50% sell-on clause.

Tsyhankov: The Electrifying Elixir on the Flanks

Whilst he hasn’t gotten the same headlines as Dovbyk, Savio or Aleix García, Tsyhankov has undoubtedly been a vital cog in Girona’s breakout season under Michel. At 26 years of age, he has bided his time in Ukraine and calmly waited for the right opportunity to move to Europe’s top five leagues, and that patience has certainly reflected upon his mature and tactically astute performances at the Estadi Montilivi.

Speaking to Andrew Toddos of Zorya Londonsk, a go-to source for all things Ukrainian football, Tsyhankov is a “dynamic winger who likes cutting inside but is also effective down the byline. He links well with his full back when it comes to overlaps, has a good delivery from a crossing perspective, and is calm and collected under pressure. He’s a composed finisher inside and outside the box, who can come in late at the back post or score from outside the area. After a bit of a dip at tail end of his Dynamo career, he’s has had a brilliant 18 months at Girona and has been really influential in their attack. He’s certainly been Ukraine’s key man in attack during the qualifiers and the Euro playoff final, and he will be integral this summer too.”

At 5’10”, Tsyhankov has the physical frame to ride off challenges and absorb the contact, capable of manoeuvring his way out of a sea of opponents and dishing out the ball to a teammate before being robbed of possession. His positional awareness and graceful composure make him a manager’s dream, allowing him to hold onto the ball amid pressure and spearhead a counter-attack with his audacious dribbling skills. A left-footed right winger, Tsyhankov is constantly leading by example, whether it be evading his opponent with a smooth change of direction, a one-two with his teammate, or a purposefully heavy first touch to give him an extra acre of space and accelerate towards the byline. A nifty technician who can conjure up magic with a flurry of quick dribbles or by filtering in perfectly weighted through balls, Tshankov is an elite playmaker whose wand of a left foot has made him not just a reliable set-piece taker, but one of the deadliest crossers in LaLiga.

Only Miguel Gutíerrez (21) and Savio (14) created more big chances in Girona’s squad than Tsyhankov (12) this season, whilst only Savio (0.30) averaged more expected assists per 90 than him (0.28). Whilst he only registered 8 goals and 7 assists in 30 league appearances, Tsyhankov boasts a diverse arsenal of finishes, capable of timing his runs to perfection and getting on the end of the cross, a cool and composed striker who can beat the goalkeeper with low, powerful effort from close range just as easily as he can cut inside and launch a firecracker from 30 yards out. We saw a perfect synapsis of his qualities on the final matchday, with Tsyhankov playing a short corner and receiving the one-two on the edge of the area before engineering a tantalizing cross towards the other side of the box, where Eric García was there to head home. Three minutes later, he held his run and ghosted past two Granada defenders before deftly tucking Gutíerrez’s cross into the side-netting. He would complete his brace in the 54th minute, sneaking past the Granada backline and firing it into an empty net. Girona would end the season with a 7-0 victory, with Artem Dovbyk scoring a hat-trick. The following day, Alexander Sørloth was hauled off in the 17th minute after succumbing to an early injury – as a result of his failure to score, Dovbyk would edge Sørloth to the Golden Boot with 24 goals in comparison to the Norwegian’s 23.

Dovbyk: The Man Mountain in Attack 

It has been nothing short of a breakout campaign for Dovbyk, who has finished with the most expected goals (24.29) and goal contributions (32) in LaLiga and became the first Ukrainian to win the top scorer award in Spain’s top-flight. He would kick off his LaLiga career on August 12 with a trip to Real Sociedad, who had finished fourth the previous season. Takefusa Kubo opened the scoring early on for La Real, but Girona would restore the balance in the 72nd minute with Tsyhankov taking his time to weigh up his options, freeze his opponent, and keep him occupied with a couple of stepovers. Each of those touches were with his left apart from the final one, with Tsyhankov firing an inch-perfect cross towards the edge of the box, where Dovbyk headed home to secure a point.

He hasn’t looked back since then, and at 26 years of age, he has emerged as one of the revelations in European football, scoring in both of Girona’s 4-2 wins vs. Barcelona and returning from the March international break with 10 goals and 3 assists in 9 matches for the Catalan side, and he has built on that momentum in Ukraine’s pre-tournament friendlies. After coming off the bench in their 0-0 draw vs. Germany, Dovbyk was given the start and managed to cut the deficit to two before halftime as Ukraine fell to a 3-1 defeat to Poland. Their final friendly match would see Roman Yaremchuk open proceedings after two minutes, whilst Sudakov found Tsygankov for the second goal before halftime. Dovbyk replaced Yaremchuk and made an instant impact, receiving a pass from Sudakov on the edge of the area, bulldozing his way past the Moldovan defense and converting the third, before returning the favor in the 54th minute and cushioning a one-two pass into open space, where Sudakov was there to convert.

Dovbyk is a towering presence at 6’2” and is more than capable of competing in aerial duels and acting as a magnet for Girona as they look to go direct, but he’s far from a one-trick pony. This is a player who boasts the ability to create chances for himself, a self-sufficient striker who’s capable of turning on a dime and hitting the accelerator, holding up the ball and dishing it off to a teammate with an expertly weighted flick, constantly looking to attack space and snuff out opportunities, and who can strike fear into a defender with his robust physique and his powerful running style. In other words, pretty much everything you want in a target man.

He boasts the joint-best penalty record in LaLiga alongside Valencia’s Pepelu, converting seven out of eight attempts, whilst he ranks in the 94th percentile for forwards in Europe’s top 5 leagues over the past year when it comes to non-penalty xG (0.62). Dovbyk is capable of outfoxing his opponents with a subtle change of direction before rushing into the open space and getting onto a through ball or a cross. And whilst the vast majority of his finishes have come from inside the area, Dovbyk is more than comfortable to drop deep and offering Girona a solution in the build-up. He’s got the pace and power to trouble any defender when it comes to his pressing, and with a €40 million release, it seems a matter of when, not if, Dovbyk earns a big-money move this summer.

Conclusion

Tsyhankov left his homeland for the first time in his life in January 2023, 11 months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has left over half a million people killed or seriously injured and caused 6.5 million people to leave their homes. Dovbyk, meanwhile, would join Dynamo Kyiv on a temporary basis and play charity matches in Europe to stay in form following the cancellation of the Ukrainian Premier League season, before finishing as the top scorer in Ukraine and Spain in back-to-back seasons. Both players are victims of Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II, but they have nevertheless found a temporary home at Girona, forming a special kind of bond in attack, operating on the same wavelength, carving up chances for fun, and spearheading Michel’s side to Champions League football. And over the next month, they have the chance to give a beleaguered nation something to cheer about.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dovbyk and Tsyhankov: The Ukrainian Duo Lighting it Up at Girona

Euro 2024 is finally underway, and all throughout the tournament, there are various compatriots who will be looking to build on the chemistry that they formed whilst playing at a former club. After guiding Bologna to their first Champions League berth in 60 years, Swiss trio Dan Ndoye, Michel Aebischer and Remo Freuler will be hoping to lead the Rossocrociati to yet another deep Euros run after arriving on the doorsteps of the semifinals in 2021. Croatian duo Mateo Kovačić and Joško Gvardiol are eyeing a lengthy campaign in Germany after winning the Premier League title in their first season at Manchester City, whilst French triumvirate Aurélien Tchouaméni, Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga look set to play a vital role for Les Bleus this summer, having played their part in Real Madrid’s Champions League and league double under Carlo Ancelotti.

By Zach Lowy

Los Blancos finished 10 points clear of Barcelona, 19 above Atlético Madrid, and 14 above Girona, who became the first team outside of Barcelona, Real and Atleti to finish in LaLiga’s top three since Unai Emery’s Valencia did it in 2011/12. Having finished 10th last season in their return to the top-flight, Girona delivered an unforgettable Cinderella Story in just the fourth top-flight campaign of the club’s history and managed to challenge Real Madrid for the league title for the first half of the campaign. Whilst they ultimately fell short of a first major trophy, the Blanquivermells have nevertheless secured their first-ever European qualification and will be playing in the UEFA Champions League next season, and two players who have proven instrumental are Ukrainian forwards Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsyhankov.

Girona’s Ukrainian Tandem

Over the past half-century, Ukraine have been blessed with a plethora of world-class forwards, with Dynamo Kyiv’s Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov winning the Ballon d’Or in 1975 and 1986 and competing for the Soviet Union national team, whilst Andriy Shevchenko got his hands on the award in 2005. Shevchenko would hang up his boots after the 2012 Euros, which Poland co-host with Ukraine, scoring a brace in their opening match and willing them to a 2-1 victory against Sweden. However, back-to-back defeats to France and England would see him crash out at the group stage, retiring with 48 goals in 111 appearances for the national team.

It has taken 12 years, but it seems that Ukraine have finally found an attack that, collectively, is capable of filling Shevchenko’s void. Mykhailo Mudryk has made the move to Chelsea for €70 million after impressing at Shakhtar with his electrifying past and devastating dribbling prowess, Georgiy Sudakov looks to become the next Shakhtar star to secure a big-money transfer after spearheading the Miners to a domestic double, whilst captain Andriy Yarmolenko continues to go strong at 34 and finds himself just three goals away from surpassing Shevchenko as the country’s all-time leading scorer. However, in Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsyhankov, they have two potential difference-makers who could play a pivotal in attack for Serhiy Rebrov’s side.

Both players showed plenty of promise from an early age, with Dovbyk becoming the youngest scorer in FC Cherkashchyna’s history after bagging a goal at 17 years and 55 days of age, following that up with a hat-trick two months later and proceeding to win the second division title. This secured him a transfer to domestic giants Dnipro, with Dovbyk having to bide his time and head out on loan to Moldova, only to score a joint-team high 6 goals and win the Ukrainian Premier League Young Player of the Year award, prompting Shevchenko to select him for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Dovbyk would stay with the team after they were relegated due to incurring debt, scoring 12 goals in 13 matches in the second tier before heading to FC Midtjylland on a free transfer in 2018, where he would win the league title and the cup in his debut campaign, before winning the Danish Cup again the following year whilst playing on loan at SønderjyskE.

He would return to his former stomping grounds in 2020 and signed with the recently established Dnipro-1, where he would enjoy a stellar 2022/23 campaign that saw him score two hat-tricks and finish as the league’s top scorer with 24 goals, 11 clear of second-place Nazariy Rusyn, before earning a move to Girona for a club-record €7m in the summer of 2023.

As for Tsyhankov, he quickly emerged as one of the most promising youngsters in Ukraine, making his debut for Dynamo Kyiv in August 2016 and earning a maiden call-up to the national team just two months later. He didn’t take long to establish himself as the chief attacking force at the NSC Olimpiyskiy, winning the league’s Player of the Month award on three occasions in 2018/19, registering 94 goals and 64 assists in 236 appearances, and cutting his teeth in the Champions League and Europa League. Tsyhankov would finally depart Dynamo Kyiv after 12 years and head to Girona in January 2023, with his boyhood club receiving €5 million fee and a 50% sell-on clause.

Tsyhankov: The Electrifying Elixir on the Flanks

Whilst he hasn’t gotten the same headlines as Dovbyk, Savio or Aleix García, Tsyhankov has undoubtedly been a vital cog in Girona’s breakout season under Michel. At 26 years of age, he has bided his time in Ukraine and calmly waited for the right opportunity to move to Europe’s top five leagues, and that patience has certainly reflected upon his mature and tactically astute performances at the Estadi Montilivi.

Speaking to Andrew Toddos of Zorya Londonsk, a go-to source for all things Ukrainian football, Tsyhankov is a “dynamic winger who likes cutting inside but is also effective down the byline. He links well with his full back when it comes to overlaps, has a good delivery from a crossing perspective, and is calm and collected under pressure. He’s a composed finisher inside and outside the box, who can come in late at the back post or score from outside the area. After a bit of a dip at tail end of his Dynamo career, he’s has had a brilliant 18 months at Girona and has been really influential in their attack. He’s certainly been Ukraine’s key man in attack during the qualifiers and the Euro playoff final, and he will be integral this summer too.”

At 5’10”, Tsyhankov has the physical frame to ride off challenges and absorb the contact, capable of manoeuvring his way out of a sea of opponents and dishing out the ball to a teammate before being robbed of possession. His positional awareness and graceful composure make him a manager’s dream, allowing him to hold onto the ball amid pressure and spearhead a counter-attack with his audacious dribbling skills. A left-footed right winger, Tsyhankov is constantly leading by example, whether it be evading his opponent with a smooth change of direction, a one-two with his teammate, or a purposefully heavy first touch to give him an extra acre of space and accelerate towards the byline. A nifty technician who can conjure up magic with a flurry of quick dribbles or by filtering in perfectly weighted through balls, Tshankov is an elite playmaker whose wand of a left foot has made him not just a reliable set-piece taker, but one of the deadliest crossers in LaLiga.

Only Miguel Gutíerrez (21) and Savio (14) created more big chances in Girona’s squad than Tsyhankov (12) this season, whilst only Savio (0.30) averaged more expected assists per 90 than him (0.28). Whilst he only registered 8 goals and 7 assists in 30 league appearances, Tsyhankov boasts a diverse arsenal of finishes, capable of timing his runs to perfection and getting on the end of the cross, a cool and composed striker who can beat the goalkeeper with low, powerful effort from close range just as easily as he can cut inside and launch a firecracker from 30 yards out. We saw a perfect synapsis of his qualities on the final matchday, with Tsyhankov playing a short corner and receiving the one-two on the edge of the area before engineering a tantalizing cross towards the other side of the box, where Eric García was there to head home. Three minutes later, he held his run and ghosted past two Granada defenders before deftly tucking Gutíerrez’s cross into the side-netting. He would complete his brace in the 54th minute, sneaking past the Granada backline and firing it into an empty net. Girona would end the season with a 7-0 victory, with Artem Dovbyk scoring a hat-trick. The following day, Alexander Sørloth was hauled off in the 17th minute after succumbing to an early injury – as a result of his failure to score, Dovbyk would edge Sørloth to the Golden Boot with 24 goals in comparison to the Norwegian’s 23.

Dovbyk: The Man Mountain in Attack 

It has been nothing short of a breakout campaign for Dovbyk, who has finished with the most expected goals (24.29) and goal contributions (32) in LaLiga and became the first Ukrainian to win the top scorer award in Spain’s top-flight. He would kick off his LaLiga career on August 12 with a trip to Real Sociedad, who had finished fourth the previous season. Takefusa Kubo opened the scoring early on for La Real, but Girona would restore the balance in the 72nd minute with Tsyhankov taking his time to weigh up his options, freeze his opponent, and keep him occupied with a couple of stepovers. Each of those touches were with his left apart from the final one, with Tsyhankov firing an inch-perfect cross towards the edge of the box, where Dovbyk headed home to secure a point.

He hasn’t looked back since then, and at 26 years of age, he has emerged as one of the revelations in European football, scoring in both of Girona’s 4-2 wins vs. Barcelona and returning from the March international break with 10 goals and 3 assists in 9 matches for the Catalan side, and he has built on that momentum in Ukraine’s pre-tournament friendlies. After coming off the bench in their 0-0 draw vs. Germany, Dovbyk was given the start and managed to cut the deficit to two before halftime as Ukraine fell to a 3-1 defeat to Poland. Their final friendly match would see Roman Yaremchuk open proceedings after two minutes, whilst Sudakov found Tsygankov for the second goal before halftime. Dovbyk replaced Yaremchuk and made an instant impact, receiving a pass from Sudakov on the edge of the area, bulldozing his way past the Moldovan defense and converting the third, before returning the favor in the 54th minute and cushioning a one-two pass into open space, where Sudakov was there to convert.

Dovbyk is a towering presence at 6’2” and is more than capable of competing in aerial duels and acting as a magnet for Girona as they look to go direct, but he’s far from a one-trick pony. This is a player who boasts the ability to create chances for himself, a self-sufficient striker who’s capable of turning on a dime and hitting the accelerator, holding up the ball and dishing it off to a teammate with an expertly weighted flick, constantly looking to attack space and snuff out opportunities, and who can strike fear into a defender with his robust physique and his powerful running style. In other words, pretty much everything you want in a target man.

He boasts the joint-best penalty record in LaLiga alongside Valencia’s Pepelu, converting seven out of eight attempts, whilst he ranks in the 94th percentile for forwards in Europe’s top 5 leagues over the past year when it comes to non-penalty xG (0.62). Dovbyk is capable of outfoxing his opponents with a subtle change of direction before rushing into the open space and getting onto a through ball or a cross. And whilst the vast majority of his finishes have come from inside the area, Dovbyk is more than comfortable to drop deep and offering Girona a solution in the build-up. He’s got the pace and power to trouble any defender when it comes to his pressing, and with a €40 million release, it seems a matter of when, not if, Dovbyk earns a big-money move this summer.

Conclusion

Tsyhankov left his homeland for the first time in his life in January 2023, 11 months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has left over half a million people killed or seriously injured and caused 6.5 million people to leave their homes. Dovbyk, meanwhile, would join Dynamo Kyiv on a temporary basis and play charity matches in Europe to stay in form following the cancellation of the Ukrainian Premier League season, before finishing as the top scorer in Ukraine and Spain in back-to-back seasons. Both players are victims of Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II, but they have nevertheless found a temporary home at Girona, forming a special kind of bond in attack, operating on the same wavelength, carving up chances for fun, and spearheading Michel’s side to Champions League football. And over the next month, they have the chance to give a beleaguered nation something to cheer about.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.