Eager to make it two wins from two, Ukraine set their stall out early and could have taken the lead after only four minutes through Matviy Ponomarenko, but his effort from just inside the box was steered narrowly wide of the target.
Georgia’s first significant opportunities of the match arrived after 20 minutes, as Giorgi Chakvetadze’s long-range strike was superbly kept out by Anatoliy Trubin, before Saba Goglichidze headed over the bar from the following corner.
Despite a slow start, the hosts were the better team over the first 45 minutes and carried more attacking threat. But Ukraine ended the half with momentum, as Oleksandr Zubkov’s shot from just outside the box forced Giorgi Mamardashvili into action seconds before the interval.
The opening 20 minutes of the second half were very cagey indeed, producing little in the way of goalmouth action. The game began to open up just a little, though, when Trubin saved Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s close-range effort from an acute angle after 64 minutes.
However, the closing stages were a disappointing spectacle with neither side able to find the quality needed to break the deadlock late on. With full-time looming, substitute Oleg Ocheretko was able to fire a 20-yard effort on target for Ukraine, but the shot did little to trouble Mamardashvili, before Kvaratskhelia saw a hopeful last-gasp attempt comfortably kept out by Trubin.
With just one point and no goals scored from their opening two group games, new head coach Ramaz Svanadze will be hoping to improve on a record of six defeats from Georgia’s last eight games (W1, D1) facing Hungary in his second game in charge. Meanwhile, Maldera has lost just one of his first five games in charge (W3, D1), and Ukraine will aim to extend their unbeaten start to the group stage when they take on Northern Ireland in Slovakia on the same night.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Anatoliy Trubin (Ukraine)