Late Sunday evening, after defeating their French counterparts 3-1 in the Romanian town of Cluj-Napoca, the Ukraine U-21 national side advanced to the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2023, winning one of the three openings for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris - the first ever in history.
This success drew a line under the major football events of the previous week, at the beginning of which Ruslan Rotan's charges played at level terms with another tournament favourite, Spain (2-2). Now, on 5 July, the Blues and Yellows will again face Furia Roja in their semi-final encounter.
It is clear that this encounter will be completely different to the one that took place in the group stage. Firstly, its price is much higher, and the Spaniards will certainly play with their starting line-up, making the most of their main trump cards - ball control, high pressing and the intensity of players' movements.
Second, the rival, no doubt, will try to deprive the Ukrainian team of trumps, focusing on our leaders. The Pyrenees had an opportunity to study the structure of actions of Rotan's charges, in particular, owing to Ukraine's brilliant game and victory over France.
On the other hand, the Blues and Yellows coaching staff have on more than one occasion demonstrated their ability to find the opponents' vulnerable spots in their game. Probably, this time too, Ruslan Rotan together with his assistants will try to find additional leverage in the Furia Roja game.
And, of course, the encounter with Spain will again be under increased media coverage. For now, journalists are piling up their arguments, as this semi-final pairing is the last to be formed. But there can be no doubt that all sports websites will be bombarded with speculation, predictions and breaking news over the coming clash in the next few hours.
We must be patient and wait for the game, and we will tell our readers about the twists and turns and the outcome in next week's media coverage.
Wins at the beginning of the group stage against Croatia (2-0) and Romania (1-0) allowed our side to reach the quarterfinals ahead of schedule. However, the closing game with the Spaniards was far from being a formality, above all, in terms of the prospects for Rotan's charges to go to Paris next year.
"Our national team actively declares its desire to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games, and under certain circumstances it can be done, even after knocking out in the quarterfinal, - mentioned journalist Mykhailo Tsyruk when commenting on the expectations before the match with high-profile Spain.-You need to be one of the top two underdogs at this stage and win the tie against the other.
But the main criterion by which the best of the relegated quarter-finalists will be determined is exactly the place in the group. A defeat after the first position in their quartet and a defeat after the second position are two big differences" (Hspert.ua, 27.06.23).
Understandably, this was still the case if France and England, whose fate was predetermined in advance, had been successful. Another important aspect was the chance to avoid a meeting with the French, who were regarded as the favourites. Finally, first place got rid of the need to leave the comfortable seat in Bucharest for Cluj-Napoca. And because the Blue-Yellows were second to the Spaniards in extra time, we needed only victory against them.
In this context, the question about rotating the squad also looked relevant. "On the one hand, after a long season the players could do with some rest and recovery. On the other hand, in the short distance of the tournament, it is important to keep players in good form, " Tsiruk continued his thoughts.
And he concluded that there is no need for Rotan to make major changes in the squad: "This match and the actions of our guys will clearly demonstrate how the Ukrainian youth team treats itself first of all. We can go into the game knowing that to defeat Spain is unrealistic for us. Or we can fight till the end. I hope very much for the second option"(Hsroart.ua, 27.06.23).
"We understand that the encounter with Spainis crucial for dividing the places in the group, it is important for both teams - Ruslan Rotan agreed.- On the other hand, it is a very good moment, in order to demonstrate our professional skills, as there is no psychological pressure over us to reach the quarterfinal. So the win in the match will be a bonus. But now we do not need to choose the opponent who can get to us. Either way it will be a very strong opponent" (Uaf.ua, 26.06.23).
Rotan recalled that after the draw he called Spain the favourite of our group: "The Spaniards play structured and aggressive football, they are excellent at controlling the ball, they have wonderful players - we understand it very well. I think the match will be physically hard for us. But we are getting ready for it, we must not exploit our structure, but we can impose our game on the opponents through more fierce midfield actions".
He also admitted that he knows about the weaknesses of the Spaniards and will try to make use of them. As for rotating the squad, according to the head coach of the Ukrainian youth team, it will be not big.
Imagine the surprise of many when nine new players took to the pitch compared to the previous games. However, Santi Denia, Rotan's Iberian counterpart made one more substitution, so virtually two squads confronted each other.
"Ruslan Rotan promised a limited rotation of the squad, but he decided not to step down - only Vivcharenko andKryskiv are left in the starting line-up, - Mykhailo Yukhimenko didn't fail to note.-Mudryka was predicted to be added to the reserves, as he hasn't yet recovered from the injury. The decision is as logical as possible. It is better to save forces before the important match in the quarterfinali" (Football24.ua, 28.06.23).
The author notes that Furia Roja did not impose control of the ball to the Ukrainians and yielded to the opponent in this regard for the first time in recent years. The Spaniards didn't apply their trademark aggressive pressing, preferring to sit in the middle of the block and cutting off passes to the centre. But without Sudakov and Bondarenko, even such passive pressure caused problems for our team in the build-up.
Kryskev, Ocheretko and Zhelizko looked unconvincing in their work with the ball, so goalkeeper Nesheret became the key point guard in the first half. However, too intrusive desire to match the trend in the desire to challenge opponents on their way out of defense often resulted in fire situations, two of which after errors by Ocheretko and Saliuk almost led to goals. The goalkeeper helped out.
On the third occasion, Nesheret himself made a mistake when he let the ball slip from his hands, which was used by Rikelme. However, the Lithuanian referee, Donatas Rumshas, ruled that the Spaniard had committed an offence.
Unlike most of his colleagues, Madrid's Marca newspaper agreed, as quoted by Fanday.net: "The Spanish team had to suffer a lot to take first place. Riquelme's goal seemed legitimate at first, but in fact the Spaniard grabbed Nescheret's arm, causing the goalkeeper to lose the ball" (28.06.23).
And then there was Nazarenko's impetuous dash and Viyunnik's goal. Sudakov, Brazhko, Kaschuk and Sikan came on the pitch in the second half, after which the Blue-Yellows' game became more solid and meaningful. And a penalty-kick awarded to the Pitmen by Sudakov. But both times Furia Roja managed to get back into the game. The latter came just before the final whistle.
"Our boys did their best to clinch the win, orchestrating a number of good approaches to the opposition goal in the closing stages. Especially cool was the episode with the scattered pass of Brzhok to Kashchuk, but he made a poor shot from the penalty line. Therefore the final whistle stipulated a fair draw", - Mykhailo Yukhimenko finished his match report (Football24.ua, 28.06.23).
Resuming the match, Ruslan Rotan said: "Today's match confirmed we are on the right track. It is getting quiet in the dressing room now, but I said to my guys: if someone had told us when we were putting the team together two years ago that we would play at least on par with Spain, probably nobody would have believed it. So I congratulate our team on this result, on the good game. We dedicate the victory in the quarterfinal to our soldiers who are at the front. We also fought for all Ukraine andplayed for the whole country, for our soldiers" (Uaf.ua, 28.06.23).
Serhiy Rebrov, the head coach of the national team, who attended the game against Spain in Bucharest, also congratulated the Youth team on their interim success.
Serhii Kovalets', ex-head coach of the Ukraine youth team, was equally impressed: "I think the decision to rotate the squad in the match against Spain was well made. Coaches allowed the players who had received less pressure or did not play at all to prove themselves, which contributes to the healthy microclimate in the team.
The match with Spain showed that we have a great reserve, high-level players who can reinforce the team in the quarterfinals. There were a lot of good moments: both ball control and quick attacks. Perhaps we were deficient in the end. But I believe the fans saw for once that we really had a team, not a collection of the talented footballers. The national team has a future" (Footboom1.com, 29.06.23).
In general, positive feedback on the performance of the Ukraine national youth team in the group stage of Euro 2023, although not without critical overtones. Thus, Ivan Getsko, who scored the first goal for the national team, called the first half of the match with the Spaniards a failure, because at the end of it we should have got three goals up. According to the former forward, the players of this level must not commit such grave mistakes. That said, the Spaniards did not look very convincing either.
"One team has three points and nobody needs anything else. The other team plays and nobody needs anything else. The same thing happened after the goals were scored. Itwas childish football, I think (ua-football.com, 28.06.23).
The Football.ua website also voiced critical notes : "The Ukraine youth team did not lose a single game in the group stageand will play in the quarterfinals of the tournament. So what else would we like to see from Ruslan Rotan's team following the results of this round of matches?
But still we have to go into details and find there some good reasons for criticism of the Golden Eagles. Some were mistaken, some conceded the goals which were not necessary in the match against Spain, there were chronic problems with concentration in defence, not very lively football in attack. As a result, we yielded the first place to a really strong opponent only due to the difference of scores. Not bad, but our fan, like the mosquito, always finds a place to twist his nose" (28.06.23).
Yet there are more advantages, summarizes reviewer Sergiy Sytnyk. In his opinion, the global rotation allowed Ruslan Rotanu to relieve the top players on the eve of the quarterfinal. At the same time, the coaches encouraged and boosted the self-esteem of the reserves, who proved that they are all one team and not just in words.
At the top tournaments, it often happens that some of the players do not get any playing time at all, and are more like tourists. Rotan has shown the ability to make non-obvious decisions, to risk the result somewhere, but with the good purpose of boosting the psychological spirit and confidence of the whole team.
"And now, even if fate does not give Nesheret the chance to take to the pitch again in the future, he has accomplished his mission, " Sytnik believes.-Nesheret and company did not just come out to play, they put up a real fight against the Spaniards. But in general, Rotan's team made an excellent progress in the group stage, showing team and quality football and appearing as a united team" (Footboom1.com, 28.06.23).
As expected, the rival of the Bilo-Syni in the quarterfinals was the team of France, who, according to most experts, were the main favourites of the tournament.
"The France national team is one of the strongest teams in the tournament, probably the strongest ", - Ruslan Rotan said before the game.-Almost all of theirplayers play in the top championships. This already speaks volumes. Individuously they are very strong, and we proved it when we played together in the qualification.
In the coming encounter, it will be very important for us to win the micro-duels that will emerge on the football field. I mean one-on-one actions, at close distances, because the players of the French team are very good. But we must be ready for that, be disciplined, compact team, match the supervisor's level of play and not deviate from our own structure. May the French adjust to us rather than us to them. As for motivation, the main thing is to play better than your opponent. Only in this case you become better" (Uaf.ua, 01.07.23).
The events on Sunday evening showed whether Rotan's charges managed to be better than the French...
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Premier League clubs have started preparing for the new season. Kyiv Dynamo players had their first training session on June 26 at the home base in Koncha Zaspa, previously undergone a medical examination in Dobrobut clinic in Kyiv. Oleksandr Shovkovs'kyi was in charge of the process. Mircea Lucescu is currently in Romania, and will join the team for the training camp in Austria from 3 to 21 July.
The midfielder Serhii Buleta, who returned from the loan at Zorya, and Vyacheslav, the 17-year-old son of Grigoryi Surkis also took part in the training session. The participation of the young goalkeeper immediately drew the attention of the sports media; within hours 17 websites published information about it on their resources.
Of course, for a talented goalkeeper such attention of journalists can and should be a serious advance for the future, as well as training with the first team of the most titled club in the country. And a good help for further growth in skill.
The big news for the club was the return of the famous Andrii Yarmolenko. The commentary on this occasion by Igor Surkis, the president of Dynamo, was published by 16 portals (22 publications).
"Peredusem, I would like to note that we were guided by the sporting aspect of this transfer - said Igor Mykhailovych.-Last season the team lacked the quality of play and experience in attack, and Andriy is certainly a very high level footballer with great experience of playing in various tournaments.
Yarmolenko is well aware of how things work at our club, he does not need time to adapt. We hope that Andriy's experience and game level will help Dynamo to make a headway and the team will perform much better than it did last season.
FC Dynamo head coach Mircea Lucescu was one of the initiators of Andriy's return home, and he wanted this transfer to happen already last winter. Due to the circumstances beyond our control, the signing of the contract with Yarmolenko was postponed until summer. I believe we would have achieved a lot more with Andriy in the second part of last season.
But now everything is in our hands, the coaching staff got one of the best Ukrainian footballers who can help the team to reach the new quality level with their play and experience.
Also, we will not forget that Dynamo has a lot of young talented players, who can advance quicker if such a master trains and plays with them. It was also one of the reasons for Andriy`s coming back to Kyiv.
Personally, I want to thank Yarmolenko for returning to his native country under such circumstances. It is a strong decision of a strong player at a difficult time for all of us.
We thank ZSU for the opportunity to conduct the Ukrainian championship, and we are grateful to all those who have supported our country in this terrible war. I am convinced thatUkraine will win on the frontline and our football can progress and develop"(Fcdynamo.com, 27.06.23).
"This is a beautiful history for Ukraine. A great team leader, who is well known in Europe, returns to the country in the midst of the war. In fact, changing the top infrastructure of England and a quiet life in the United Arab Emirates for the UPL, which is carried out in extreme conditions: difficult travel, air strikes at matches, bombardment of cities in everyday life. With his growing popularity and recognition the vinger is a weighty message, given his subsequent work in the infostructure, which is inevitable.
This is a beautiful story for Dynamo. During his playing days in Kyiv, Yarmolenko became a personage, who seems to be respected by everyone. From the management, for whose gratitude he sacrificed several seasons of the European championship, when he re-signed his contract and then was sold at the age of 27 years. To the fans, when Andriy was the first to come to the stands after the setbacks, where he was expected by some very unpleasant talk. There were raised tones. There were times with mutual imagery and welding. But in the end everyone understood that the reason for this is indifference of both sides to the emblem and the history ofthe club ", - commented on the event columnist of UA.tribuna.com Dmytro Vatras (27.06.23).
The commentary of Igor Surkis about the future of other Dynamo players was no less resonant (45 publications in 29 sources).
About Buyalskyy: "I did not give Vitaliy any ultimatums. He is a decent guy. He frankly told me and the head coach about his desire to play abroad. I promised him that I will not keep him, if the club gets a good offer. But while there is no such offer, Buyalsky remains a Dynamo player and goes to the training camp. We understand he is a very influential player for the team".
About Besedin: "Artem came to me on crutches - he is recovering from a serious injury. We had a talk and in spite of the long-term contract with Dynamo, we agreed that he would receive the status of a free agent. I wish him good luck!
About Supryaga: "He will not be on the list of those going to the training camp. Supryaga is recovering from an operation. He needs 3-4 more months" (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 27.06.23).
As for insider information, it is likely that Bohdan Lednev will go on loan to Zorya. It's not that his qualification doesn't satisfy Lucescu. Lednev simply missed a lot of action through injury and he needs to find his form in order to compete with the main players. It is not ruled out that Longwijk and Ramadani will also go on loan. At the same time Oleksandr Karavaev extended his contract for two years. The question with Garmash is being solved.
In total Dynamo coaching staff intends to involve 32 players in the training camp in Austria, at that the youth players will have 10 days rest after their performance in Euro 2023. It is also planned to play some friendlies. They will take on their teammates from Bucharest on July 5, Wolfsberger from Austria on July 8, Young Boys from Switzerland on July 12, and Aris from Limassol from Cyprus on July 16.
"Our main expectation is for the war to end with our victory. This is the main expectation of all Ukrainians. As far as football is concerned, it is important now to lay the groundwork for the season in order to fulfil our goals, and they are only the highest.
As for Yarmolenko's return, we can talk about anything, but only time will tell. But I want to say that Yarmolenko's experience, his understanding of football, his individual and leadership qualities will definitely have an impact on our game. His confidence and authority will also help young players progress. I see only pluses in his transfer", - Lucescu's assistant Oleksandr Shovkovskiy said on the eve of the team's trip to the Austrian training camp(Dynamo.kiev.ua, 28.06.23).
Viktor Zhuravlev