The head coach of the Ukrainian youth national team Dmytro Mykhailenko commented on his team's0-0 draw with Northern Ireland in the first round of the Euro 2024 (U-19) group stage.
Dmitry Mikhailenko"We deserved more than one point. Unfortunately, we did not succeed in the other team's penalty area. Sometimes we were in a hurry, sometimes we could have made better decisions, and sometimes the opponent was saved by the goalkeeper or we did not hit the goal frame.
As for the game, we completely controlled it, created chances, dominated, but unfortunately, we did not score and have such a result.
Northern Ireland is a team that relies on its physical qualities, on wrestling, on long passes. Maybe they don't work with the ball as well, but it's hard to play against them. Plus, there's an artificial pitch that you need to get used to.
We tried to pull out a victory, even at the cost of injuries, damages, and pressed until the end. We made substitutions, freshened up the game, and became more reactive up front in the second half.
Of course, today we missed Ponomarenko and Krevsun, our key players. Matvii is our top scorer, and Danylo is one of the leading performers in the middle of the field. We would have been stronger with them. But we have to accept this result, move on and prepare for the next match," said Mykhaylenko.
