Azerbaijan and Ukraine drew 1–1 in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, with the hosts' defensive approach limiting their visitors' dominance. Despite Ukraine's superior attacking threat—registering 16 shots to Azerbaijan's four—the match remained tightly contested, with both sides generating similar expected goals (Ukraine 0.94, Azerbaijan 0.98). Ukraine's Georgiy Sudakov opened the scoring, but Azerbaijan equalised through clinical finishing from limited opportunities. The hosts' 5–4–1 formation proved effective in nullifying Ukraine's 4–3–3 setup, though Azerbaijan's goalkeeper faced only two of four shots on target, saving 50 per cent of efforts. Ukraine created substantially more chances with five shots on target, yet failed to convert their territorial advantage into a decisive result. The draw leaves both sides with ground to make up in Group D's qualification race.