Ukraine came away from Tbilisi with a point after an experimental side held Georgia to a 0-0 draw, with goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin once again playing a key role in keeping a clean sheet.

For Andrea Maldera, the match was another opportunity to assess his squad. The interim Ukraine boss made 10 changes to the starting XI following the meeting with Hungary, leaving cohesion at a premium. Several players had never started a competitive international together, while Maksym Khlan made his senior debut for Ukraine.

Georgia made the brighter start and immediately looked to turn Ukraine's lack of familiarity into an advantage. The hosts pressed aggressively and nearly capitalised on a mistake from Valerii Bondar in the opening stages.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia won possession and set up Otar Kiteishvili, but Anatolii Trubin stood firm. The Ukraine goalkeeper was called into action again in the 20th minute, producing a sharp save to keep out Giorgi Chakvetadze's effort from distance.

Georgia continued to threaten and came closest again shortly after the half-hour mark. Another Ukraine error in midfield allowed Kvaratskhelia to race into the penalty area from the left. With the angle narrowing, however, Trubin made himself big and denied the Paris Saint-Germain star and Ballon d'Or contender.

Ukraine struggled to create anything of similar quality. Their first effort on target arrived just before half-time, when Oleksandr Zubkov could only send a tame attempt straight at the goalkeeper.

Maldera responded at the interval with three substitutions, completely reshaping his attacking line and introducing Oleh Ocheretko in midfield. The changes brought greater defensive control and, crucially, reduced the number of clear openings available to the hosts.

The trade-off was clear: Ukraine still lacked an attacking edge. Their best opportunities came from outside the box and failed to seriously test the Georgian defence. At the other end, Kvaratskhelia had another chance in the 64th minute, but once again Trubin came to Ukraine's rescue, making a crucial save with his foot.

In the end, neither side could find the breakthrough. For an experimental Ukraine team playing away from home, a second successive clean sheet offered a positive takeaway, even if the attacking performance remained work in progress.

UEFA Nations League 2026-27

Georgia - Ukraine 0:0

Georgia: Mamardashvili; Goglichidze S.; Kakabadze; Dvali; Lochoschvili; Kochorashvili (Yegoian, 92); Kvaratskhelia; Kiteishvili (Mekvabishvili, 73); Chakvetadze (Davitashvili, 73); Tsitaishvili; Mikautadze (Kvernadze, 67)
Substitution: Kvernadze (from 67); Mekvabishvili (from 73); Davitashvili (from 73); Yegoian (from 92)
Bench: Kereselidze; Gugeshashvili; Kharebashvili; Sazonov Sa.; Tabidze; Lobjanidze S.; Mamageishvili G.; Zivzivadze
Yellow Cards: Goglichidze S. 54; Mekvabishvili 81

Ukraine: Trubin; Mykhavko; Bondar V.; Mikhaylichenko B.; Sarapiy; Pikhalonok (Ocheretko, 46); Nazaryna; Khlan M. (Shaparenko, 66); Ponomarenko M. (Yaremchuk, 46); Vanat (Sikan, 46); Zubkov (Tsygankov, 79)
Substitution: Ocheretko (from 46); Sikan (from 46); Yaremchuk (from 46); Shaparenko (from 66); Tsygankov (from 79)
Bench: Yermakov H.; Riznyk D.; Matviyenko; Zabarnyi; Yarmolenko; Brazhko; Veleten
Yellow Cards: Vanat 17; Sikan 46; Bondar V. 75; Ocheretko 89