U-19: Personnel foundation for the success of the youth team of Ukraine in qualifying for Euro-2019

In May 2017, Ukrainian footballers of the year 2000 were born in the final of the U-17 European Championship - in Croatia.

Then Serhiy Popov's team won one match, lost two and did not leave the group. In October 2018, she started the qualifying tournament for the new European Championship - already U-19, the final part of which will take place in 2019 in Armenia.

To Latvia - for a trophy

The national team of Ukraine started preparing for the matches that took place in Albania (Durres and Lushnja) in September, having played at an international tournament in Latvia. The level of rivals was not very respectable (Faroe Islands, Macedonia and Latvia proper), so Popov's wards confirmed the status of favorites and won the main prize. In three meetings, the Ukrainians scored seven goals without conceding a single goal.

"We were given matches," Serhiy Oleksandrovych said after the victory. - I told the guys that they arranged an attraction of unprecedented generosity. In each of the matches, the team created a lot of scoring opportunities, but the implementation was not so good. In addition, there were situations near our gates that alert us to official matches. We discussed these points with the players, which still need to be worked on. "

And just before leaving for Albania, a sparring match took place, in which Obolon-Brovar competed. The national team of Ukraine U-19 won - 1: 0. Shakhtar midfielder Mykhailo Mudryk scored the only goal.

After leaving for Latvia, the head coach said that he had decided on the composition of the selection match at 80. The game against the shells helped to bring the figure to 100.

Fresh blood of the national team

The issue of personnel for the coaching staff was relevant. This is evidenced by the fact that six young football players, born in 2001, were involved in the preparations for the September tournament in Latvia. And not everyone whom Popov wanted to see, - the midfielder of "Carpathians" Ivan Zhelizko was injured.

Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin (Shakhtar), defenders Danylo Hondak and Mykola Yarosh (both Dynamo), midfielders Vikentiy Voloshin (Dynamo) and Mykhailo Mudryk (Shakhtar) and striker Danylo Sikan were to compete with the national team. Carpathians "), who made his debut in the Premier League on August 12 at the age of 17.

Three of them went to Albania for the qualifying match - Yarosh, Mudryk and Sikan. And the last two are currently the best scorers of the U-19 team in the 2018/2019 season. They scored three goals each.

Due to injuries, the team missed not only Zhelizka, but also goalkeeper Trubin, as well as old-timers - central midfielders Bohdan Biloshevsky and Artur Vashchyshyn (both - "Dynamo").

Character with Slovakia

It was always difficult to start the match with the hosts of the tournament. Three points of blue and yellow brought a wise shot by 85 minutes (1: 0).

But the most difficult opponent was Norway. Popov's team has already met with her. In January 2016 - at the international tournament (2: 1), in September 2016 - at the first stage of qualifying for Euro 2017 (2: 2), in May 2017 - during the final tournament of the European Championship (2: 0) ).

This time everything went wrong. In the 30th minute, the Ukrainians lost - 0: 2, and in the 33rd they remained in the top ten after the removal of the supporting midfielder Petro Kharzhevsky from the Carpathians. His teammate Rostislav Lyakh played one ball in the 82nd minute, but did not save from defeat - 1: 2.

Therefore, in the last match, with Slovakia, our guys only had to win to get to the elite round. And it is desirable - as large as possible. And when in the 1st minute Myroslav Gono scored in the goal of Dani Ltaif from "Olympic", it seemed that everything was lost forever. But Popov's wards showed what made their coach different when he was a footballer - a strong character.

Yevhen Isayenko (11th minute), Danylo Sikan (35th) and Mykhailo Mudryk (45th + 2nd) sent Ukraine to the locker room in a great mood. And on the 70th Georgy Tsitaishvili brought the case to defeat - 4: 1. Now we are waiting for the draw of the elite round - on December 6 in Nyon.

Personnel facts

All three qualifying matches were played by 12 players from six clubs: goalkeeper Dani Ltaif (Olympic), defenders Maxim Agapov (Zorya), Roman Sliva (Karpaty), Igor Snurnitsyn (Olympic), midfielders Artem Bondarenko, Oleksiy Kashchuk, Mykhailo Mudryk, Klym Prykhodko (all Shakhtar), Oleh Horyn (Lviv), forwards Yevhen Isayenko, Vladyslav Supryaga (both Dynamo) and Danylo Sikan (Karpaty).

Defender Nazariy Muravsky (Shakhtar), midfielders Rostyslav Lyakh, Petro Kharzhevsky (both Karpaty) and Georgy Tsitaishvili (Dynamo) played two games each, defender Mykola Yarosh (Dynamo) and midfielder Oleksandr played one each. Nazarenko ("Dnipro-1"). Goalkeeper Andriy Artym (Karpaty) and defender Maksym Dukhan (Dynamo) remained in reserve.

Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin (Shakhtar), defender Daniil Khondak, midfielders Bohdan Biloshevsky, Vikentiy Voloshin (all - Dynamo) and striker Artem Kholod (Shakhtar) played in the September tournament in Latvia but were not selected for selection. .

12 of the players (Ltaif, Sliva, Snurnitsyn, Kharzhevsky, Biloshevsky, Voloshin, Kashchuk, Prykhodko, Tsitaishvili, Isaenko, Supryaga, Kholod) played at least one match in the Euro-2017 cycle (U-17). But nine other players who played in that cycle in the 2016/2017 season are currently absent from the national team for various reasons. These are goalkeeper Viktor Babichyn, defenders Taras Dmytruk, Bohdan Kurtyak, Ilya Malyshkin, Oleksandr Melnyk, midfielders Artur Vashchyshyn, Vadym Mashchenko, Volodymyr Rudyuk and Mykita Titayevsky.

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