The current generation of Ukrainian youth players definitely have someone to look up to. In 2006, the U-21 national team of Ukraine, led by Oleksiy Mykhailychenko, reached the European Championships for the first time in its history and immediately managed to achieve second place. The events of that tournament were described by Taras Mykhalyk, a defender of the 2006 youth team and former Dynamo Kyiv player.
Taras Mikhalik- Did the federation or the coaching staff or the players themselves set any specific goals for the tournament?
- I don't remember anyone setting us any specific tasks. We had to play every game and win, and then let it go.
- You started the tournament with a great victory over the Netherlands with a 2-1 score. What do you remember from that game?
- I remember that during that game it was incredibly hot, 35 degrees. In that game, the Netherlands conceded a rather curious second goal from us. They wanted to create an "artificial offside", but they did it very poorly. I think they were hoping to beat us easily.
- In the next game, you narrowly lost to the Italians (0-1), conceding a goal in added time from Giorgio Chiellini. What happened then?
- Unfortunately, we just didn't have enough patience with Italy.
- For the last match in the group against Denmark, however, you were able to pull yourself together and win a strong-willed victory with a score of 2-1. How did you manage to adjust after the fiasco with the Italians?
- After Italy, everyone had their heads down a bit, but the coaching staff did a great job. Oleksii Mykhailichenko, Hennadii Lytovchenko, and Oleksandr Ishchenko are experienced people. They rebooted us. We went into the match against Denmark calmly. Although that victory was not easy for us either. After the match, I remember getting on the scales and seeing that I had lost five kilograms. And this is considering that my weight was ridiculous at the time.
- In the semi-finals, you defeated the national teams of Serbia and Montenegro only on penalties (0-0, penalties 5-6). Was this opponent really that difficult?
- It was a tough game. Perhaps both teams were already physically tired at that point. Sanya Rybka came on as a substitute for a penalty shootout and pulled us through. Apparently, Mykhailychenko knew something.
- Why did you not manage to beat the Netherlands for the second time in the final, and the team eventually lost (0:3)?
- I remember I had a goal-scoring chance in the final with the score at 0-0. Tioma Milevskyi put me almost one-on-one with the goalkeeper. I shot between his legs, but the goalkeeper somehow covered the ball with his back. If I had scored then, everything could have turned out differently. And so we let in one, then the second...
Sanya Romanchuk was sent off in the second half, but it was already a consequence of our previous problems in that game. Then we conceded another goal in the minority.
- How did you perceive the silver medals at the time?
- After the semi-final, it was perceived as an achievement, after the final - as a disappointment.
- Many future stars of European football played in that tournament. Who do you remember the most?
- The same Guentelar, Chiellini, Ricardo Quaresma - although we didn't play against Portugal, we saw what he did in other matches. There were a lot of quite good players.
- Who were the leaders in our team?
- Perhaps Milevsky and Aliyev. They still played at the level of Dynamo at that time.
- It is interesting that after that Euro, the adult World Cup took place almost immediately, and three players from the youth team (Pyatov, Chyhrynsky, Milevsky - ed.) went with Oleg Blokhin's national team. Didn't you feel that they were already mentally in Germany?
- I don't think it played any role. Only Milevsky was more or less an important player for the national team at the World Cup. The rest of the guys went to cover for us in case of emergency. Everyone understood this. Moreover, it was not known until the last moment who would go. It was announced at the end.
- How was it working under Oleksiy Mykhailychenko?
- Mykhailychenko knew how to find a balance. He knew when to let the team go a little bit, and when to push them a little bit. The coaching staff was great at the time. I enjoyed playing for the national team. I knew that I did not come to do hard labour.
- Who was more humorous in the team?
- Ishchenko was more humorous in our team - Oleksandr Oleksiyovych. Now he works at the Dynamo Academy. He could make a good joke.
- Were Milevskyi and Aliyev already clients then?
- Yes, they were. They were already clients back then.
- In what conditions did the team live in Portugal?
- We lived in a small town. I was very surprised that a lot of Ukrainian fans came to the stadium. Obviously, these were our workers in Portugal. Our people came to the hotel and to watch the football. It was very nice.
- How did the players spend their leisure time between matches?
- No one went anywhere at all. Everyone stayed put. The hotel had a swimming pool, we played cards...
- How strict was the regime?
- Everything was more or less in line with the regime. There was a story, but I don't even know if I can tell it. We had a "recovery", as they say(laughs).
I think it was after Denmark. After the match, everyone was exhausted, we lost a lot of energy in the heat. You can't get very drunk with water. We arrived for dinner, and no one really wants to eat, because they're not hungry. And then a bowl of ice is brought in, and there's 0.3 beer in it. Mykhailychenko said: "You can have a bottle each." And everyone is afraid to take it, waiting. There was a pause. I don't remember who was the first, but then the others dared. You see, after that game, we "recovered" with 0.3 beers each and went on to beat the Serbs.
- Do you follow our youth team at the Euros now?
- To be honest, I don't watch the matches. I was either on the road to Kyiv with the veterans or in the East. We brought various necessary things to our military. I tried to watch something on my phone, but it didn't work out too well. It's not very football-friendly there. I hope that I will be able to watch at least one game in the tournament, and I wish the guys good luck.
Dmytro Venkov
