Northern Ireland Under-21s have slipped to the bottom of Group Three after losing 2-1 to Ukraine Under-21s in the fifth game of European Championship qualifying.
Chances were few and far between for much of the early stages, with Ukraine only threatening from long range when Vladlen Yurchenko fired just past the post.
Robbie McDaid was a lively presence on the pitch for the hosts and he created a good opportunity by beating two defenders before dragging a low shot wide.
Northern Ireland started to dominate in the closing stages of the first half as Seamus McCartan found the space to head over from a good position in the box.
The lead belonged to the hosts nine minutes into the second half when McCartan cut inside from the wing before finding the back of the net with an unstoppable strike.
However, Ukraine bounced back impressively to equalise through Viktor Kovalenko, who timed his run to perfection to slot past Conor Brennan on the run.
The turnaround was complete with 17 minutes of normal time remaining as a cross into the box reached Kovalenko, who sent home a fine volley to clinch the win for the visitors.
Callum Mulvihill
Spain U21s
