2024 was the year of our national teams' appearance in the finals of three European championships - Euro 2024, held in Germany, as well as U-17 and U-19, where our teams had previously won their elite round groups. The national team got to the final tournament of Euro-2024 through the playoff round. Also, for the first time our team is playing at the Olympics, which these days is held in France. We will talk about these tournaments.
It was the fourth Euro for the main Ukrainian team. At the previous one our national team reached the quarterfinals. In Germany Sergey Rebrov's wards played in Group E together with the teams of Belgium, Slovakia and Romania.
These matches are well remembered to you. Crushing defeat in Munich against Romania - 0:3, victory over Slovakia in Dusseldorf - 2:1, as well as a zero draw in a very important game with Belgium in Stuttgart. As a result, we have a very interesting situation in our group. All teams scored four points each. After conceding four goals and scoring only two, our team ended up in last place and finished their performance at the tournament.
Before the start of Euro 2024, there was an opinion among my colleagues that we have the strongest national team in all the years of independent Ukraine. That it features players playing in the leading leagues of the world - England (Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea, Bournemouth), Spain (Girona, Valencia), Italy (Genoa), Portugal (Benfica), Belgium (Westerlo), as well as the strongest players defending the colors of Ukrainian teams. They say that we are not afraid of any difficulties, the minimum task is to get into the playoffs, and then to the final.
My personal opinion is that the national team of 2024 is far from the strongest of those convocations that were in our soccer. I believe that the 2006 team that played at the World Cup in Germany was stronger than this one. And not only it. In their time, Shevchenko, Luzhny, Kuznetsov, Rebrov, Voronin and others, playing in leading European clubs, wearing the shirt of the national team of Ukraine, played with great dedication, fought for victory.
Before the start of Euro 2024 Serhiy Rebrov's wards held three control matches - with the national teams of Germany, Poland and Moldova. I expected that the head coach in these games will play the main squad of the national team, with which by that time he will have already decided, to build the game. But, alas, in each game the coach experimented. As they say, it's his right, he is responsible for the result.
I'm sure many disagree with me. But I did not see a well-coordinated team, in which one for all and all for one. And the microclimate in the national team, as they say, was not at its best. By the way, for each match the partners were brought out by a new captain...
But enough of me letting out critical arrows against our national team. After all, we all dreamed of seeing it in the final tournament of Euro 2024. But its only achievement is the 1.5 million euros earned for a win and a draw in the group stage.
Another major test awaits our national team in the fall - the 2024/25 Nations League. This is the fourth tournament, the winners of the previous three tournaments were Portugal, France and Spain.
In the season-2021/22 our national team played in the elite Division A, but left it. Now it plays in Division B, where the Czech Republic, Albania and Georgia are in the same group with us. The teams that will be the winners of the four groups in Division B will be promoted in class.
Our team will play its first match on September 7 with the national team of Albania, on September 10 our opponent will be the Czech Republic, on October 11 will be a duel with the team of Georgia. Then in October-December the rivals will have repeated meetings.
In the Nations League are 55 European national teams. They are divided into four divisions: 16 teams in Divisions A, B and C, as well as 7 - in Division D. The task of our national team is to move to Division A. Let's wish it success.
Friends, about the performances of our Olympic team in France, U-17 teams in Cyprus and U-19 teams in Northern Ireland next time.
Oleksandr LIPENKO for Dynamo.kiev.ua