Slovakia fought valiantly but ultimately fell short in a 2-1 loss to Ukraine in their UEFA Euro 2028 Group E opener. Andriy Yarmolenko's early goal and a late strike from Artem Dovbyk sealed the win for Ukraine, while Slovakia's Jan Kóza netted a consolation goal. The narrow victory propelled Ukraine to the top of Group E, setting them up for a challenging path to the knockout stages.