Ocheretko: Well hit, we trained these standards before the game

Midfielder Ukrainian youth team Oleg Ocheretko shared his impressions after the victorious match with England U-21 (3:2) in the selection for European Championship 2025.

“It’s nice to win every match. I don’t think there were fireworks with England. Of course, they play well in attack and control the ball quickly. This is an example for us. We practiced a little defensively, but the memories will be great.”

“Goal? We practiced these standards before the game. They turned the gate and just served. I saw that the guys were standing close to the goalkeeper, and decided to shoot. It just so happened that I hit it well.”

“Did you believe that we could snatch victory? Yes, I believed it. We played coherently in defense and launched high-quality counterattacks when we had chances. They escalated the game, played through the flanks, and started playing with long passes and diagonals. This created some problems for us, but we dealt with them.”

“6 points in October matches? Wonderful experience. We were only focused on winning. When we were traveling with the guys, we agreed that only victories, no draws.”

Ocheretko scored the second goal of the Ukrainian U-21 team. The midfielder curled the ball under the far post from a tight angle with a direct free-kick.

The blue-and-yellows were winning 2-0 after the first half, but lost their lead in the second half. The victory for Unai Melgosa’s team was brought by a goal from Ilya Kvasnitsa in injury time.

The Ukrainian U-21 team scored nine points after three matches and single-handedly topped Group F. The English are in second place with six points. In the next match, Melgosa’s team will meet Luxembourg on November 17.