Stepanov’s Dream Debut for Ukraine in Doubt After Injury at De Kuip

Artem Stepanov’s season flipped in an instant at De Kuip. One awkward twist, one duel gone wrong, and the in-form FC Utrecht striker left the pitch in tears, his long-awaited Ukraine debut suddenly hanging by a thread.

Half an hour into Feyenoord v FC Utrecht, Stepanov went down after a challenge with defender Givairo Read. The moment he hit the turf, the alarm bells rang. No theatrics, no attempt to play on. He sat on the grass, clutching himself, and the emotion took over.

Medical staff rushed on, but their efforts changed nothing. Stepanov’s face told the story before any diagnosis could: this was serious. He was inconsolable as he made his way off, replaced by Anthony Correia, his night over far earlier than anyone in Utrecht colours wanted to see.

The timing could hardly be crueller. Utrecht have stumbled badly out of the blocks this season, but Stepanov has been the glaring exception. The tall forward has been their one reliable spark, scoring in each of his first five league matches. That run didn’t just lift Utrecht; it dragged him into elite company, matching Rafael van der Vaart’s 2001 milestone of scoring in his first five Eredivisie games.

Those goals earned him more than headlines. They earned him a call from Ukraine.

With the Nations League group stage kicking off on Friday and Hungary waiting, Stepanov finally had his shot at a senior cap after years in the youth ranks. No more age-group football, no more waiting. This was supposed to be his step onto the international stage.

Now everything is on hold.

Utrecht will wait for clarity. So will Ukraine. The question is brutally simple: will he be fit in time to report for national team duty?

For a player who has represented his country at various youth levels but never yet for the senior side, the stakes could not be higher. One twist at De Kuip may decide whether this breakthrough month ends with a debut in yellow and blue, or with Stepanov watching the Nations League from home, replaying that moment on the grass in Rotterdam.