The blue-yellows dominated the match, but were unable to snatch victory over the hosts of the European Youth Championship
National team coach Ukraine U-19 Dmitry Mykhailenko commented on the draw with Northern Ireland (0:0) at the start of the European Youth Championship.
“We deserved more than one point. Unfortunately, we didn’t do everything in the opponent’s penalty area. Sometimes we were in a hurry, sometimes we could have made better decisions, and sometimes the goalkeeper saved the opponent or we missed the goal.”
“As for the game, we were in complete control, created chances, dominated, but unfortunately we didn’t score and have this result.”
“Northern Ireland are a team that rely on their physicality, on tackling, on long passes. They may not be as good with the ball, but they are tough to play against. Plus the artificial pitch, which you need to get used to.”
“We tried to snatch the victory, even at the cost of injuries, damage, we pressed until the end. We made substitutions, refreshed the game, became more reactive up front in the second half.”
“Of course, today we missed Ponomarenko and Krevsun, they are our key players. Matvey is the best scorer, Daniil is one of the leading performers inside the field. With them we would have been stronger. But we must accept this result, move on and prepare for the next match.”
In the second round of Group A, Mykhailenko’s team will meet Norway on July 18. Then the blue-yellows will play Italy on July 21.
Two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals. In addition, since the continental championship will also serve as UEFA’s qualifier for the 2025 World Cup (U-20), the teams that finish third in their groups will play for the fifth European spot at the World Cup. The final match of the 2024 U-19 European Championship will be held on July 28.
Source: Sportarena
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