Vitalii Mykolenko in action for Ukraine, with Hill Dickinson Stadium in the background
Vitalii Mykolenko in action for Ukraine, with Hill Dickinson Stadium in the background
Everton's Vitalii Mykolenko has been accused of going down to ground too easily in Ukraine's Nations League clash with Northern Ireland.
With Michael O'Neill's Green and White Army chasing promotion to League A and Ukraine fighting to avoid the drop to League C, there was a lot to play for at Belfast's Windsor Park on Saturday night.
Going into the game, Ukraine had just one win from four matches, meaning that Mykolenko's side absolutely had to pick up all three points in order to stop a calamitous drop to the Nations League's third tier.
But Mykolenko's desperation to come out on top in the game led to criticism from ex-Northern Ireland international Stephen Craigan.
During the first half, as Northern Ireland applied pressure on the away side, Mykolenko was accused of using the dark arts in order to win a free-kick.
It worked and convinced the assistant referee to give him a free-kick that helped clear Ukraine's lines. But it didn't impress Craigan.
What did Vitalii Mykolenko do?
While chasing for the ball against Portsmouth's Terry Devlin, Mykolenko went to ground and won his side a free-kick.
However, contact between the two players was very minimal and Craigan suggested that Mykolenko went looking for a free-kick, even though replays clearly showed the Everton left-back had his shirt pulled by Devlin.
"[Devlin] feels that's a soft one," said BBC Sport commentator Thomas Kane. "Mykolenko going down very easily.
"Michael O'Neill, I think, agrees."
Craigan replied: "I think you can tell by Michael's face.
"I mean, there's a little coming together. He touches his arm every so slightly and he may just have hold of his jersey.
"It's minimal contact and Mykolenko just throws himself to the ground.
"The officials should know better. He's looking right down the line of it."
After seeing the linesman flag for a foul, Devlin couldn't believe that he'd been penalised and held his head in his hands, while Northern Ireland boss O'Neill also looked bemused.
How has Mykolenko's season gone so far?
It's fair to say that going into the season, Evertonians were left quite downhearted by the fact that Mykolenko was their only left-back after the summer transfer window.
While the lack of full-back options is an issue that definitely needs fixing in January, Mykolenko's performances have shut a lot of his critics up.
The 27-year-old has arguably had some of his best performances in an Everton shirt and in the final game before the international break, he bagged an assist in the 3-1 win over Coventry City.
Mykolenko's form is a big part of why David Moyes' side has done so well so far this season and the Blues boss and fans will be praying he returns from these Nations League games unscathed.