Oleksandr Romanchuk made his debut for the national team of Ukraine » How he fared against Lewandowski
Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Sunday, May 31, 2026, 9:36 p.m. / Updated Sunday, May 31, 2026, 9:36 p.m.
Oleksandr Romanchuk (26 years old), the central defender from the University of Craiova, made his debut in the national team of Ukraine in the friendly won against Poland, score 2-0.
Until the age of 26, Romanchuk had not ticked off a single minute in the shirt of his national team. The good performances this season in Craiova's shirt propelled him into the team led by Andrea Maldera.
Oleksandr Romanchuk made his debut for the national team in Poland – Ukraine
Neither Ukraine nor Poland will participate in the World Cup, and the two national teams met in a friendly in Wroclaw.
Romanchuk started and played for one half against a team that had Robert Lewandowski in attack. Even though his basic position is that of stopper, the Craiova player was sent to the right side of the defense.
With him on the pitch, Ukraine kept Poland out of Trubin's goal in the first half. Lewandowski's national team had only one shot on target in the first half.
Maldera decided to replace Romanchuk at half-time when he brought on Shakhtior's Valeriy Bondar. Ukraine prevailed with the goals scored by Yarmolenko (44) and Yaremchuk (34).
The next friendly for Romanchuk's national team is scheduled for June 7, against Denmark. It remains to be seen if the stopper from Olten will get minutes in this match as well.
Oleksandr Romanchuk: “I've been chasing my whole life to be in the national team”
In a statement provided to the Ukrainian federation, the defender said how excited he was about the call-up: “It's great to be here. It's a pleasure to see everyone here at the national team. This is what I've been watching all my life. And now it's happening here today.
Oleksandr Romanchuk in Craiova University – UTA, stage #16, 9.11.2025 // photo: Facebook Craiova
So, of course, I experience only positive emotions. I still can't fully understand that I'm a national team player, I don't fully realize. I think that once we play the first match, I will feel that I am really a member of the national team of Ukraine.
Experience has taught me to adapt quite quickly. And that will probably help me here as well. The boys welcomed me warmly. We joke, we talk. They asked me about Romanian football and congratulated me for the trophies”.
