Oleg Shelayev, former midfielder of the Ukraine national football team, has shared his impressions about the rivalry between the Ukraine youth team and Spaniards at Euro 2023 and estimated the chances of Ruslan Rotan's charges at the Olympic tournament in Paris in 2024.
- Our players seem to have exhausted their reserve of emotions in the quarter-final against the French. Also, we should have taken into account that a tough calendar with a short interval between matches would have a negative impact on the physical condition of the team. After all, the Ukrainians could not boast a long bench. Then the team skill level came to the fore. But the Spaniards proved to have a better one, which is why they lost by a landslide. Such are the realities.
- What was the final result of the game?
- I don't think our side deserved to be defeated, because judging by the nature of the game we cannot say that they were doomed. But, again, the circumstances were such that our opponents' domination was obvious. Our players and coaching staff understood that.
- In the previous encounters our youth team, as they say, raised the bar high. Who of the players met the required level yesterday?
- There were no complaints about Sudakov, who did a lot of work, and Mudryk, who tried to turn things into a dangerous situation in front of the opposition. The rest cannot take credit for the game.
- According to you, which of the players of the Ukrainian team, who have become the menace of authority at the Euros, could in time try themselves in one of the top championships?
- Mudrik has already achieved it, there are good prospects for Sudakov and Trubin, although they still have some work to do.
- Today Ruslan Rotan and his team have already said goodbye to the youth team. He will meet with some of the players next year, when he begins to prepare the Ukraine national Olympic team. What can you expect from it at the Paris games?
- I think that as many as 10 persons from that youth team will participate in the preparations for the Olympics, where the Ukrainian team has not had a chance to compete yet. It is a big plus, because the players already have considerable international experience. Although we will be able to talk about our chances more specifically once we know the rivals of the Ukrainians in Paris.