“Lincoln City” with Ivan Varfolomeyev has prematurely secured promotion after a crazy finish in the final seconds
Ukrainian midfielder Ivan Varfolomeyev of “Lincoln City” celebrates a significant achievement in English football. His team has ensured their promotion to the Championship, having delivered a phenomenal unbeaten streak that has lasted since November of last year.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the tournament results.
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Thriller in the final minutes
The fate of the historic promotion was decided in an away match of the 42nd round of the First League against “Reading.” Varfolomeyev started in the lineup and spent 83 minutes on the field, being one of the key figures in the midfield.
The match turned into a real drama: “Lincoln” led for almost the entire game, but in the 90+2 minute, the hosts managed to score an equalizer. It seemed that the celebration would have to be postponed, but just moments later, the “Imps” snatched victory – 2:1. This result made Varfolomeyev’s team unreachable for their pursuers with five rounds remaining in the season.
Why this rise is historic
“Lincoln City” has not played at the Championship level (the second tier of English football) since the 1960/61 season. The club spent 65 seasons in lower leagues before returning.
The 22-year-old Ukrainian, who joined “Lincoln” in August 2025, became the most expensive summer signing for the team (€800,000). In the current season, the midfielder of the Ukrainian U-21 national team has played 33 matches, scoring one goal and providing three assists.
Who is Ivan Varfolomeyev
A 22-year-old native of Simferopol, he is a product of the local “Tavriya,” as well as Lviv’s “Karpaty” and “Rukh.” His position is central midfielder.
He began his professional career with “Rukh”: in February 2021, he made his debut in the UPL, coming on as a substitute in a match against Donetsk’s “Shakhtar.” He played three matches for the first team of Lviv before moving to Czech club “Slovan” in 2022, where he became a regular player and played 63 matches.
In August 2025, Varfolomeyev transferred to English “Lincoln City” for €800,000, becoming one of two Ukrainian legionnaires in the English First League alongside Exeter’s winger Timur Tuterov.
Ivan is a stable player for the Ukrainian U-21 national team. Since 2024, he has played 14 matches for the U-21 team. Previously, the midfielder also represented youth national teams.
What is known about “Lincoln City”
The football club “Lincoln City” was founded in 1884. Its nickname “the Imps” was given in honor of the city’s symbol – a stone figure of an imp in the local cathedral. The club plays its home matches at the “Sincil Bank” stadium, which has a capacity of just over 10,000 spectators.
For the last six decades, the club has predominantly balanced between the third and fifth divisions of England. The club’s highest achievement in recent history was reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 2017. At that time, the team became the first representative of the fifth division in 103 years to reach this stage of the tournament.
Also, find out where the Ukrainian national team ranked in the updated FIFA ranking.
Source: rbc.ua +rel=”nofollow”
