He made his debut for his country in a 4–0 loss to Croatia in a UEFA Euro 1996qualifying match in March 1995.[2][3] He did not score his first goal until May 1996, however, when he scored in a friendly against Turkey.[4] On 9 October 1999, during a crucial UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying match against Russia in Moscow, Shevchenko scored his seventh international goal to level the game at 1–1,[5] securing Ukraine a place in the qualifying play-offs. In the first leg of the play-off against Slovenia, Shevchenko scored the first goal of the game in a 2–1 loss.[6] However, in the second leg, the two teams drew 1–1, meaning that Ukraine lost 3–2 on aggregate.[7] During the UEFA section of the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Shevchenko scored nine goals in the qualifying group and captained[citation needed] the side to a second-place[citation needed] finish behind Poland, which set them in a play-off tie against Germany where he scored in the second leg of a 5–2 aggregate defeat.[8] During 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification, Ukraine topped their qualifying group, automatically qualifying for the main competition in Germany and their first World Cup in history as an independent nation.[9] In the group stage, he scored one goal against Saudi Arabia in a 4–0 victory[10] and another goal against Tunisia in a 1–0 victory,[11] as Ukraine finished second in the group stage behind Spain. Shevchenko captained the side to a penalty shoot-out victory against Switzerland in the Round of 16, but the team lost to eventual champions Italy in the quarter-finals.[12] He scored his final international goal in the 55th minute of a UEFA Euro 2012group stage match against Sweden, which ended as a 2–1 victory for Ukraine.[13] He decided to retire from international football after the final match in the group stage against England; it ended with a 1–0 loss for Ukraine.[14][15]
International goals
Scores and results list Ukraine's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Shevchenko goal.[2]
List of international goals scored by Andriy Shevchenko
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