The Ukrainian U-19 national team qualified from first place to the European Youth Championship 2024
Head coach Ukrainian national team U-19 Dmitry Mikhailenko commented on the team’s output on European Youth Championship 2024.
“We are happy to reach the final part of the Euro. For Ukraine, I think it is an achievement to be included in the cohort of the eight best teams in Europe. I won’t lie, but we set ourselves the task of taking first place in our group.”
“You don’t need to look at the score, all the fights were not easy. But perhaps the hardest thing was against Switzerland. She has a very strong team. The Swiss beat Italy and Sweden in qualifying. Our rivalry decided who would go to the European Championships. As a rule, in such matches the character of the players is tested, and our guys showed themselves in all their glory.”
“Perfect defense is probably not the right word, but we really spent a lot of time on this component of the game. If the defense works well in such short-lived tournaments, this significantly increases the chances of winning. It was impossible to improve anything offensively in the two or three training sessions we had before the elite round, since there were a lot of new players compared to the qualifying round. Maybe we did a good job. If I’m not mistaken, among all the teams in the elite round, only the Ukrainian team missed out.”
“It’s difficult for me to answer whether Matvey Ponomarenko is ready for adult football. You can’t tell until you try. But it’s a fact that he has something to work on.”
“I think that our strength lies in the character of Ukrainians. Because of the war, many foreign players left us, which gave way to young football players from the Ukrainian championship. Also, many of our guys play abroad in reputable European clubs. But the basis is willpower and, as I said, character, especially in such a difficult time for us.”
The Ukrainian team won group 7 of the qualification, gaining the maximum nine points. Let us remind you that in the first round, Dmitry Mikhailenko’s team defeated North Macedonia (2:0), defeated Latvia (3:0) and beat Switzerland (2:0).
Euro 2024 U-19 will take place in Northern Ireland from 15 to 28 July 2024. The continental championship will simultaneously serve as a UEFA selection for the 2025 World Cup (U-20). The draw for the final part of the tournament will take place on April 17 in Belfast.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ben Stock and I work in Athletistic as an author. My specialty is covering football news and other related topics. I have been writing for this website since the past 2 years, crafting compelling stories with the latest updates in the sports world. My articles have gained widespread appreciation amongst readers due to their accuracy and depth of research.
