Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine U-19 striker Matvii Ponomarenko took part in all three matches of the elite qualifying round for the 2024 European Championships.
"The Yellow and Blues won three victories, took first place in the group, which allowed our team to reach the final part of the Euro, and Matvey himself made a significant contribution to the overall success, scoring five goals in three matches.
We asked the Dynamo player about his impressions of the elite round.
Matvey Ponomarenko- Matvey, congratulations on reaching Euro 2024. Have you had time to realise this success?
- Thank you for the congratulations. Yes, in principle, we have already realised what we have managed to do. We strived to achieve this, we believed that we had a good team with which we managed to reach the Euros.
- It seemed that the national team went through the elite round in one breath, confidently beating all the opponents. What was the most difficult part?
- On paper, everything may look easy, but in reality, this success is due to the hard work of the entire team, coaches, doctors, and administrative staff. We went into each game focused, played selflessly, and that's how we achieved the result.
- Which of the three matches do you remember the most?
- Of course, the last one, against Switzerland, which decided the fate of our ticket to the European Championship. Even a draw would have suited us, but thanks to our extraordinary attitude, we left our opponents no chance of success. The Swiss needed to score at all costs, but they failed to do so, which made them nervous, while we acted calmly and brought the match to victory.
- Were you inspired by the success of the Ukrainian U-17 team, which also reached the finals of Euro 2024 in its age group the day before?
- Yes, of course. But we were happy for the boys, and then we had to cope with our own task and qualify for the Euros. Why are we worse than them? (Smiles).
- In three matches against North Macedonia, Latvia and Switzerland, you scored five goals, are you satisfied with your performance and the result?
- In my opinion, if a striker scores in every match, it is a very good indicator. In the elite round, I managed to score five goals, and that's very good. Of course, I wouldn't have achieved anything on my own, so I'm grateful to all my teammates who helped me score, and we all reached the European Championships together.
- Which of your goals did you like the most or was the most valuable?
- The most valuable were the two goals against Switzerland, and I liked the first goal in the match against the Swiss, as well as the only one in the match against Latvia.
- How did you feel when the final whistle blew in the final match against the Swiss? What was the atmosphere like in the dressing room?
- Of course, everyone was euphoric, everyone was very happy. This victory is for the whole of Ukraine, for our Armed Forces. In the dressing room, the coach thanked us for the game, praised us for successfully overcoming this qualifying path. We all understand that we have a tough final tournament ahead of us, but we still have time to enjoy this success a little bit.
- You played the qualifying round under the leadership of Oleg Kuznetsov, and in the elite round matches the team was led by Dmytro Mykhailenko. Has anything changed in the game? Did you quickly get used to the requirements of the new coach?
- In principle, we got used to it quickly, because Dmytro Stanislavovych is a top-class coach, he used to work with Dnipro-1 and has a great approach to young players. I believe that with his arrival, we received additional motivation, a spark, thanks to which we demonstrated excellent football and reached the Euros.
- What are your expectations from the draw for the final part of Euro 2024? Which teams would you like to play against?
- We are among the top eight teams, and there will definitely be no easy matches. It will be interesting to play with everyone, and I believe that we can play on equal terms with each opponent and fight for victory in every match. I can see from the guys that everyone wants to do this, so I think we will succeed.
