Qarabag's Ukrainian forward Oleksiy Kashchuk has received his first call-up to Ukraine's senior national football team.
As reported by İdman.Biz, citing the official website of the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF), the 26-year-old has been included in the 25-man squad selected by head coach Andrea Maldera for the final matches of the UEFA Nations League group stage.
Kashchuk has been in impressive form for Qarabag this season. The Ukrainian has scored four goals in nine Azerbaijan Premier League appearances, making him the club's leading scorer in the domestic championship. Across all competitions this season, he has registered five goals and one assist.
Notably, Ukrainian media had previously highlighted Kashchuk's strong performances for Qarabag, suggesting that his form warranted a call-up to the national team. Some reports emphasized his potential to increase competition on the right wing of Ukraine's attack.
Kashchuk has previously represented Ukraine at U-17, U-19, U-20, U-21 and U-23 levels. In 2019, he became a FIFA U-20 World Cup champion, featuring in all seven matches of Ukraine's victorious campaign.
In 2023, he helped Ukraine reach the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, contributing a goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory over Croatia.
Kashchuk's most recent international appearance came in March 2024, when he represented Ukraine's Olympic team in a friendly against Japan, which ended in a 2-0 defeat.
Having never played for Ukraine's senior national team, the Qarabag forward now has an opportunity to make his international debut.
Ukraine will face Northern Ireland away from home on November 14 before taking on Georgia on November 17.
