U-19: today the national team of Ukraine begins the decisive stage of selection for Euro-2019

20.03.2019 10:00

Photo of FFU press service

Today, March 20, at 12.30:XNUMX p.m. in the small Italian municipality of Caldiero (Veneto region, Verona province) youth team of Ukraine will play the first match elite round of Euro-2019 (U-19).

The opponents of Serhiy Nagornyak's team are very serious — Serbia, Italy and Belgium. Only the winner of our quartet will go to the final tournament, which will be held in Armenia on July 14-27.

But this is not the first time that this youth national team of Ukraine has overcome difficulties. We remember how in the elite round of Euro-2017 (U-17) under the leadership of Serhiy Popov at the time, our boys won a strong-willed victory over the hosts — Austria (2:1) — and advanced to the final tournament.

Character had to be demonstrated on the first stage of Euro-2019 selection (U-19), which was held in Albania in October 2018. In the first game, thanks to the goal of Mykhailo Mudryk, Popov's team won against the hosts - 1:0, but in the second game they lost to Norway - 1:2 (goal by Rostislav Liakh). On the eve of the final round, Slovakia had six points, Ukraine and Norway - three each, Albania - zero. Moreover, according to personal meetings, Slovakia was better than Norway (2:1), and Norway was better than us (2:1). The task was simple and difficult at the same time: it was necessary to beat Slovakia with a difference of two goals. Then, even if the Norwegians had won over the Albanians, Ukraine would have been the first in the final tally of the personal meetings of the three national teams.

But the beginning was simply nightmarish - already in the 1st minute, Miroslav Gono put Slovakia ahead in the score. We needed to score three goals already, but Popov's boys completely coped with this task even before the break. In the 11th minute, Yevhenii Isaenko restored the balance, in the 35th minute, Danylo Sikan made the score 2:1, and in the 45th + 2nd minute, Mykhailo Mudryk converted a penalty - 3:1. Giorgii Tsitaishvili scored the final goal in the 70th minute — 4:1.

Below are the squads of the Ukrainian national team in these matches. Highlighted football players who received a challenge to the elite round games.

Match against Albania: LTAIF, SNURNITSYN, AGAPOV, SUPRYAGA (Isayenko, 80), KASCHUK (MUDRIK, 70), TSYTAISHVILI, SIKAN, HORIN, BONDARENKO (Prykhodko, 62), Kharzhevsky, Yarosh (PLUM, 62).

Match against Norway: LTAIF, SLYVA, SNURNITSYN, MURAVSKY, AGAPOV, SUPRYAGA (SIKAN, 59), KASCHUK (MUDRIK, 46), Isayenko (Lyakh, 81), Prykhodko (BONDARENKO, 46), Nazarenko (HORIN, 36), Kharzhevsky.

Match against Slovakia: LTAIF, SLYVA, SNURNITSYN, MURAVSKY, AGAPOV, TSYTAISHVILI, Isaenko (KASHCHUK, 80), MUDRYK (SUPRYAGA, 79), SIKAN (Lyakh, 90), HORIN, BONDARENKO (Prykhodko, 62).

Its old-timers Petro Kharzhevskyi, Rostislav Lyakh (both from Karpaty), Yevhenii Isaenko (Dynamo), Klim Prykhodko (Shakhtar) and Oleksandr Nazarenko (Dnipro-1) did not make it to the team. There is also Mykola Yarosh (Dynamo), a football player born in 2001.

instead received a challenge other players born in 2001 are Anatoly Trubin (Shakhtar), Kristian Bilovar (Dynamo), Ivan Zhelizko (Karpaty), Yaroslav Nadolsky and Artem Shulyansky (both Dynamo).

We will remind that in February 2019, the head coach of this national team changed. Serhiy Popov decided to try himself in the coaching staff of "Zora", and his place was taken by Serhiy Nagornyak, who before that successfully helped Volodymyr Yezerskyi in the U-17 national team.

Already under Nagornyak's leadership, the U-19 national team held two sparring matches in Israel with local peers. She won the first one by a big margin 3:0, the second lost with an even bigger one — 0:4. For the new coach, it was the first and last chance to check the potential of his new charges with his own eyes. We will see what came of it in the coming days.

Euro-2019 Elite Round (U-19). Group 7