Heorhii Sudakov injury leaves Benfica waiting on Ukraine's decision

Heorhii Sudakov's injury against Ukraine vs Northern Ireland has left Benfica waiting for Ukraine's next call. He was substituted in the 68th minute after a very hard foul from Brodie Spencer of Oxford City, and the Ukrainian federation plans to decide the next day whether he stays with the national team or is released early to Portugal for treatment.

Eduard Sarapiy, his teammate, told A Bola in comments translated from Portuguese: "I do not know details, but I just saw Sudakov. He is limping. He thinks it could be a serious injury."

Ukraine's decision window

Ukraine are due to face Hungary in the Nations League on Monday in Trnava, Slovakia. That gives the federation a clear choice before the camp moves on, and the decision will shape whether Sudakov remains with the squad or heads back to Benfica for assessment.

Sudakov was not a passenger before going off. He had 4 shots and lasted 68 minutes before the foul forced his substitution. That is enough to show he was active in the game, even if the bigger issue now is whether he is fit to stay in the camp.

Benfica's concern

Benfica's timing is awkward too. They host V. Guimarães next Sunday, and any delay in getting Sudakov back to Portugal will keep the club watching events in Ukraine closely.

The wider injury picture at Benfica is already busy, with Alexander Bah assessed in Copenhagen by Denmark's medical team after a shoulder issue and Jakub Kaminski injured an adductor on 25 September in the match between Poland and Bosnia in Warsaw. Sudakov's case is the one that now needs the next formal decision.