Dmytro Mykhaylenko: "In such a difficult time, the strength of Ukrainians is manifested in character"
From March 20 to March 26, the youth national team of Ukraine took part in the elite round of Euro 2024 qualifying (U-19). In order to make it to the final part of the European Championship, the blue-yellow team had to take first place in the rivalry with Switzerland, North Macedonia and Latvia.
Our team performed this task perfectly, finishing first in the group. After the competition, the head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Dmytro Mykhaylenko, answered the questions on the UAF official website.
— Mr. Dmytro, how would you generally rate the tournament performed by the Ukrainian national team?
- Of course, positively. We are happy to reach the final part of the Euro. For Ukraine, I think it is an achievement to get into the cohort of the eight best national teams in Europe. But I won't play cunning, as we set ourselves the task of taking first place in our group.
— Which match at the tournament was the most difficult for the Ukrainian national team?
- You don't need to look at the score, all the matches were difficult. But probably the most difficult was against Switzerland. They have a strong team. In the qualification, the Swiss beat Italy and Sweden. In our rivalry, it was decided who would go to the European Championship. As a rule, in such matches, the character of the players is tested, and our boys showed themselves in all their glory.
— At the tournament, the Ukrainian national team did not concede a single goal. Were the defensive structures perfect?
- Perfect is probably not the right word, but we spent a lot of time on this component of the game. If the defense works well in such short-term tournaments, it significantly increases the chances of victory. To record anything offensively in the two or three training sessions we had before the elite round is not realistic, because there were a lot of new players compared to the qualifying round. Maybe we did a good job. If I'm not mistaken, only the Ukrainian national team did not concede the elite round among all national teams.
— Matviy Ponomarenko became the best scorer with five goals. Is the boy ready for professional football?
- It is difficult for me to answer. You can't say until you try. But the fact that he has something to work on is real.
— What, in your opinion, is the strength of Ukrainians? The national teams of Ukraine (national, U-17 and U-19) made it to the Euro. We will be represented at the Olympics, and Ukraine U-XNUMX є is the sole leader of qualifying group for the European Championship...
— I think that strength is in the character of Ukrainians. Because of the war, many foreign players left, which gave way to young domestic players. Also, many of our boys perform abroad in solid European clubs. But the basis is willpower and, as I said, character, especially in such a difficult time for us.
Photo of UAF press service
Euro-2024 (U-19). Elite round of qualifying. Group 7
20.03.2024
Switzerland — Latvia — 1:0
North Macedonia - Ukraine - 0: 2
23.03.2024
Switzerland - North Macedonia - 2:0
Ukraine — Latvia — 3:0
26.03.2024
Ukraine — Switzerland — 3:0
Latvia - North Macedonia - 1: 1
Standings
|
|
G |
W |
D |
L |
GD |
P |
|
1. Ukraine |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
8-0 |
9 |
|
2. Switzerland |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3-3 |
6 |
|
3. Latvia |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1-5 |
1 |
|
4. North Macedonia |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1-5 |
1 |
The draw for the final tournament takes place on April 17 in Belfast (starting at 17:00 Kyiv time). In addition to Northern Ireland, Ukraine, Italy (current champion), France, Spain, Turkey, Norway and Denmark will take part in the tournament. The hosts take their place in the starting position of A1, the other teams of the team will be divided into two groups. The two best teams from each quartet advance to the semi-finals, which will be played at Windsor Park in Belfast on July 28.
The match for the third place is not scheduled, but for the fifth place, it will take place, since Europe delegates five representatives to the 2025 World Cup among U-20 teams, which will be held in Chile with the participation of 24 national teams. So the winner of the match between the third teams of the groups will join the four semi-finalists. Like the semi-finals, it is scheduled for July 25.
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