Today, December 17, in Portugal, the Ukrainian U-15 national team (football players born no older than 2011) played its first match at the UEFA Development Tournament, which will last until December 22.

The first opponent of the blue-and-yellows in the tournament was the Greek team. The Greeks started the match more actively, but the Ukrainians gradually took the initiative. In the middle of the half, the selection in the other half of the field ended with a shot by Drozd from about 25 meters - the ball hit the crossbar. Having taken the lead, the blue-and-yellows continued to act as the first number and create scoring opportunities. Before the break, high pressure worked again: Zamorsky intercepted the opponent's pass from the goal, the goalkeeper reacted to his shot, but the first to finish was Nagayets, who doubled the Ukrainians' advantage.

At the beginning of the second half, the Ukrainian national team consolidated its advantage. The goal was again preceded by an interception of the ball in the other half of the field: after accelerating and shooting from the right flank on the goal line, Semenchenko completed the pass - 3:0.

However, the Greeks managed to close the gap quite quickly. After a set piece, the opponent won the fight on the second floor, the ball bounced to Itskos, who crossed it into the goal from close range. And eight minutes later, the Greeks earned a penalty, but Privolos' shot from the penalty spot was parried by Varivoda. This episode became a key moment in the match: despite further attempts by the Greek national team to change the course of the game, the score did not change. 3:1 — the Ukrainian youth national team is making a successful start at the UEFA Development Tournament.

Volodymyr Samborsky's players will play their next match on December 19 against their peers from the Irish national team. 

UEFA Development Tournament

Greece (U-15) — Ukraine (U-15) — 1:3 (0:2)

Goals: Itskos (63) — Thrush (22), Nagayets (38), Semenchenko (53).

Greece (U-15): Kofopolous, Itskos, Kakalis, Kotramadias, Zitros (Kolios, 64), Phlegas (Solomidis, 64), Kasimos (Sachouridis, 64), Andrikopoulos, Dimopoulos, Privolos (k), Papargiogopoulos.

Trainer: Panos Karagianis. 

Ukraine (U-15): Varyvoda (k), Chmelov (Babenko, 76), Malyuta, Tsebenyak, Lapunov (Artyukhovich, 56), Kochura (Kozachuk, 46), Vologdin (Dzvonyk, 71), Nagayets (Ivasyshyn, 71), Thrush (Ratsky, 56), Bonyuk (Semenchenko, 46), Overseas (Cholak, 56).

Trainer: Volodymyr Samborsky.

In the 71st minute, Privolos did not implement penalty kick (goalkeeper).

The composition of the Ukrainian U-15 national team

Goalkeepers: Oleksandr Varivoda (Shakhtar Donetsk), Karim Bahriev (Dynamo Kyiv), Alexander Simoskov (Barcelona, ​​Spain).

Defenders: Oleksandr Chmelyov, Artur Malyuta, Oleksandr Ivasyshyn (all — Rukh Lviv), Dmytro Tsebenyak (Bayern Munich, Germany), Velizar Artyukhovich, Daniil Lapunov (both — Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Dzvonyk (Livyi Bereg Kyiv), Artur Babenko (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany).

Midfielders: Shain Kochura (Rukh Lviv), Ivan Nagayets (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany), Myroslav Vaskovskyi (Liverpool, England), Mykyta Bonyuk, Arseniy Semenchenko (both — Shakhtar Donetsk), Yevhen Kozachuk (Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih).

Attackers: Oleksandr Vologdin (Espanyol Barcelona, ​​Spain), Nikita Drozd (Nuremberg, Germany), Andriy Cholak (Rukh Lviv), Artem Zamorsky (Livyi Bereg Kyiv).

UEFA Development Tournament Match Schedule

17.12. Greece — Ukraine - 1: 3

17.12. Portugal — Irlaнaction. 18:00

19.12. Ukraine — Ireland. 13:00 p.m.

19.12. Portugal — Greece. 18:00

22.12. Irlaнaction — Greece. 13:00

22.12. Portugal — Ukraine. 13:00 p.m.

The start time of the matches is Kyiv time.