From 20 to 26 March, the youth national team of Ukraine took part in the elite qualifying round for Euro 2024 (U-19). To make it to the finals of the European Championship, the blue and yellows had to take first place in the competition with Switzerland, Northern Macedonia and Latvia.
Our team performed this task perfectly, finishing first in the group. After the competition, the head coach of the Ukrainian national team Dmytro Mykhailenko answered questions from the UAF official website.
Dmytro Mykhailenko. Photo: D. Rudenko- Mr Dmytro, how would you generally assess the tournament performed by the Ukrainian national team?
- Of course, positively. We are happy to reach the final part of the Euro. For Ukraine, I believe, it is an achievement to get into the cohort of the eight best national teams in Europe. I won't be disingenuous, but we set ourselves the task of taking first place in our group.
- Which match in the tournament was the most difficult for the Ukrainian national team?
- No need to look at the score, all the matches were difficult. But perhaps the most difficult was against Switzerland. They have a very strong team. In the qualifiers, the Swiss beat Italy and Sweden. Our rivalry decided who would go to the European Championships. As a rule, such matches test the character of the players, and our guys showed themselves in all their glory.
- The Ukrainian national team did not concede a single goal in the tournament. Were the defensive formations perfect?
- Perfect is probably not the right word, but we really spent a lot of time on this component of the game. If the defence works well in such fast-paced tournaments, it significantly increases the chances of winning. It's unrealistic to play anything in attack in the two or three training sessions we had before the elite round, as there were a lot of new players compared to the qualifying round. Maybe we did a good job. If I'm not mistaken, only the Ukrainian national team did not miss the elite round.
- Matvey Ponomarenko became the top scorer with five goals. Is the boy ready for adult football?
- It is difficult for me to answer. You can't say until you try. But it is a fact that he has something to work on.
- What do you think is the strength of Ukrainians? The national teams of Ukraine (national, U-17 and U-19) made it to the Euros. We will also be represented at the Olympics, and the youth team is the sole leader of its qualifying group for the European Championships...
- I think the strength is in the character of Ukrainians. Because of the war, many legionnaires left us, which paved the way for young domestic players. 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.
