The week was marked by the Ukrainian national teams. Not all of them succeeded, but even so, the media saw signs of positive change.
The main events of the reporting period took place at the end of last week and the beginning of this week: on Friday, our national team played Georgia, the youth team met England in a crucial match, and on Monday, the first team finished the October session in the League of Nations with a match against the Czech Republic.
Photo — UAFNational team: not perfect, but much better
It's no exaggeration to say that before the weekend, the Ukrainian football community was living for the match between Serhiy Rebrov's team and the then sole leader of Group B1 of the Nations League, Georgia. Everyone understood perfectly well that a failure in this match would put an end to hopes for a successful performance of our national team in the tournament.
The Blue and Yellows were really under a lot of pressure - not only because of the failures in the two opening matches of the group, but also because of an unprecedented number of personnel problems.
"First of all, it concerns the central midfield area, where both Stepanenko and Brazhko were injured. Therefore, Serhii Rebrov had to start Ivan Kalyuzhny, a debutant from Oleksandriya. Yarmolenko, Tsygankov, Mykolenko and Lunin could not help their partners either, which greatly complicated the task of the "blue and yellows" to win," columnist Ihor Linnik listed the key losses ("Football Club", 11.10.24).
To this should also be added the absence of Malinowski and Pikhalenko, which significantly narrowed Rebrov's options in the midfield. Therefore, the experiments in the starting lineup of the Ukrainians were expected to be in the focus of all specialized media. Ivan Kalyuzhnyi's appearance in the supporting area, Maksym Taloverov in the center of defense with Mykola Matvienko's transfer to the left, and Oleksiy Hutsulyak on the right wing of the attack were Rebrov's main decisions.
As the final result - a 1-0 victory - showed, the risk taken by the head coach and his staff was justified. The media especially noted the high-quality debut of Kalyuzhnyi, whom Rebrov had first released in the first team of Dynamo Kyiv.
"In conditions when high-class Georgian players are trying to create a dangerous moment near our penalty area, it was Kalyuzhny who was the pillar that could not be passed ," said Vitaliy Tkachuk, a journalist for Lb.ua. " The debutant in the match against Georgia really, as they say, carried the piano behind Sudakov and Shaparenko, freeing them from menial work in defense. However, the fans remember him for his eyes and his desire to play for his country not in words but on the field.
"It was my dream to play for the national team," he said after the game. Serhiy Rebrov was not stingy with his compliments. The Ukrainian coach noted that he had known Ivan since his time at Dynamo (when Kalyuzhny was in the second team of Kyiv), so he had no doubt about his skills. Whether the footballer will be able to continue in the same spirit is an open question, but this match will definitely go down in history as a benefit for the holding midfielder who surprised everyone. And not only him, fortunately"(Lb.ua, 12.10.24).
If we talk about the game of the national team of Ukraine in general, then while the domestic press praises it for the result and dedication, opinions were divided on the content of the events on the field - sometimes just radically. Just compare a few of the following passages from sports portals' reports.
"To put it nicely, Sanyol's team 'played up' their goal, and a draw would have been a natural outcome of the match. But we survived, and thank God: we desperately needed this timid ray of light in the darkness of the hopelessly dominant European season. This small point of support, which in itself does not guarantee any upheaval," wrote Ihor Yurych(Ua-football.com, 12.10.24).
"Objectively speaking, I can't call the game bright and the victory convincing. I believe that Ukraine was not superior to its opponent, neither of them created any chances, and at the end of the match, due to a gross goalkeeper's mistake, our team almost lost the victory. The offside call saved us. Nevertheless, we got three points, and you must admit that absolutely nothing has been lost in the group," said columnist Andriy Shakhov(Xsport.ua, 12.10.24).
"Objectively, this is probably one of, if not our best matches under Rebrov in terms of structure and organization. We really allowed, as much as possible, a minimum of space and free zones behind our backs. At the same time, the Ukrainians did not completely shut down after taking the lead, but rather, they competently changed the pace. Not an extravaganza, but the progress is obvious," said Vladyslav Lychyk(Ua-football.com, 11.10.24).
And here's what all our media agree on one hundred percent - that this match really took a lot of strength from Rebrov's team. In addition to the usual factor of difficult logistics, this was compounded by an extremely difficult pitch and the energy-consuming style of play of the blue and yellows.
"During the lion's share of the game, Ukraine "turned on" high pressure, which leveled many of the opponent's initiatives. However, such football requires a lot of effort and strength, which is not unlimited. As a result, in the second half, in the areas where the Ukrainians used to cope with their opponents, the team began to "sag" a bit. There is no doubt that it is impossible to recover not to 100 percent, but to a conditional 70 percent in the 2 full days remaining before the match with the Czech Republic, which is no less important and no less fateful. That's why Rebrov will definitely resort to rotation, and the substitutions can be quite large-scale," emphasized Maksym Salivon(Champion.com.ua, 12.10.24).
However, despite all the predictions, the blue-and-yellow coach made only one change in the starting lineup - Stepanenko, who recovered from injury, came on instead of Kalyuzhny. Rebrov then explained his choice as follows: "Ivan worked very hard in the game against Georgia, he gave a lot of effort. A fresh player is very important in this position. I asked all the players how ready they were for this match - no one refused, so it is important to keep the lineup that won the last game"(ua.tribuna.com, 10/14/24).
This time, the Ukrainians failed to repeat the winning result, as they had to play back after a fairly quick goal and eventually settled for a 1-1 draw, secured by a penalty kick from Artem Dovbyk.
"In general, a draw is the most natural result in such a game. Neither team probably played for the second goal. The Czechs are completely satisfied with this draw and allow Ivan Hasek's team to lead the quartet. As for us, it leaves a double aftertaste. On the one hand, there is definitely progress. At least in terms of structure and organization. The October cycle was much better for Serhiy Stanislavovych's wards than September," Vladyslav Lychyk noted in the wake of the match(Ua-football.com, 10/14/24).
In general, Ukraine outperformed its opponent in all key indicators. It had the ball for 53% of the game time and made 45 attacks, while the Czech Republic had 43 attempts and 47% possession. Our team had more shots - 14 against 13 - but fewer shots on target - three against six. Rebrov's team took seven corners, which is two more than the Czech national team, made 348 accurate passes out of 436 (80%), while the opponent made 321 out of 395 (81%).
Undoubtedly, a draw with the Czech Republic, the new leader of our quartet (it has 7 points), is far from ideal. However, after two defeats at the start of the Nations League, 4 points in the October session is a big step forward. At the same time, the blue and yellows are still in last place in the group, as Albania defeated Georgia 1-0 and caught up with it (both have 6 points), but they have a fair chance of even taking the final first position.
"The tournament position in the Ukrainian group after four rounds is again extremely confusing. None of the teams has decided anything yet. None has lost the chance to successfully complete the fight, which guarantees an exciting finish!"- summarized the columnist Serhiy Voronyuk ("Football Club", 10/14/24).
So, in a month - in mid-November - Rebrov's team will meet again with rivals from Georgia and Albania. The final table of Group B1 will be formed based on the results of the last two rounds.
Young talents: the game is better than the results
On Friday, along with Rebrov's team, the youth national team of Ukraine took to the field in England. Before this match, there was a non-standard situation: back in September, the UAF received confirmation from UEFA that our "youth" guaranteed a place in the final of Euro 2025 as at least one of the best second teams. However, later it was clarified that there was still a certain mathematical probability of failure.
Thus, Unai Melhosa's team still had tournament motivation - at least a draw was enough to finally qualify for the tournament in Slovakia from first place. And it must be said that the Ukrainians really looked very motivated and charged to fight. Even though the coaching staff clearly chose an unusual tactic for the game - a deep defense.
After the game, the media emphasized the actions of the Ukrainian defense, especially since the composition of the blue and yellow back line was experimental.
"Melhosa's problems were compounded by the loss of his captain and defense leader, Arseniy Batagov. The pair of center backs was formed by the youth debutant Mykhavko and Melnychenko, who had half an hour at this level. And what a powerful match they played!" - said Football24.ua journalist Andriy Buletsa. - Ukraine parked the bus without remorse, not striking a single shot before the break. However, England did not impress with the sharpness of the moments either.
Ocheretko brought the only real danger to their goal. The new owner of the captain's armband played sloppy in the penalty area and allowed McAteer to jump out for a rendezvous with Nesheret. Fortunately, our goalkeeper reduced the angle of attack in time. Zeroes after the first half. England started the second half actively, and Ocheretko again "fell asleep" near the goal. This time Philoden-Bidas jumped out at Nescheret - the second save from the Dynamo goalkeeper!"(Football24.ua, 11.10.24).
Moreover, the 19-year-old debutant Mykhavko also scored a wonderful header after a corner. Unfortunately, in the end, Melgosa's well-oiled mechanism malfunctioned, and the English first scored from the penalty spot (a shot almost from the penalty line off the crossbar - no chance for the keeper), and then Smolyakov's clumsy clearance allowed the opponent to score accurately from close range.
However, as expected, the scanty mathematical probability of our team's failure to qualify did not materialize: a little later, Slovenia drew with Austria, which finally guaranteed the Ukrainians a ticket to Euro 2025. Moreover, even England, which is still second in our group, has secured a place in the final stage on the same principle.
Unlike the "youth", the next highest ranked national team - among young men under 19 - is just preparing for the start of its EURO qualification. As part of a friendly tournament in Marbella, Dmytro Mykhailenko's team played a match against the Netherlands U-18, losing 1-0.
Despite the defeat, however, the Ukrainian media noted that the result was not at all according to the game. The blue and yellows played a quality match, but the realization failed.
"In the 6th minute, the Blue and Yellows should have taken the lead: Husol accelerated the attack on the left flank, dragged the ball across the halfway line and shot at the far post - Shevchenko failed to close. Subsequently, Husol again broke through on the left flank into the goalkeeper's area and scored from an acute angle - over the crossbar. The Ukrainians looked many times sharper and more interesting, but failed to score" (football24.ua, 11.10.24)
At the same time, the opponents also created a number of dangerous moments, taking advantage of mistakes in defense, but the goalkeeper of Mykhaylenko's team repeatedly helped his partners out.
"In the 20th minute, Bahati had a promising free kick, but Surkis was the first on the ball. A little while later, Vyacheslav knocked the ball into the field after a corner kick, and a moment later he reacted to the finish, saving Ukraine from a goal. In the 30th minute, Surkis saved his team twice in a row again: first, he pulled El Harmouz's shot under the far post in a jump, and then he repelled Kluivert's shot at the near post"(football24.ua, 11.10.24).
"The Blue and Yellows started the second half very actively, but the ball stubbornly did not go into the goal. In the 56th minute, Husol's trademark pass ended in a split pass to the goalkeeper's area - none of his partners had time to close.
"In the middle of the half, the opponent tried to take Surkis by surprise with a long shot - the Dynamo goalkeeper repelled it. Still, in the 78th minute, the Dutch managed to take the lead - van den Berg hit the top right corner from the penalty line. And at the end of the match Surkis managed to make an interception and saved Ukraine from the second goal," journalist Oleh Vasylyshyn summarized(football24.ua, 11.10.24).
On Monday, the Ukrainian U19 national team played its second match in Marbella - a match for third place against England U18 - and lost again (1-3). Mykhaylenko reshaped his team's starting lineup, leaving Surkis, Shevchenko, and Havrylenko in the reserves.
The English scored in the seventh minute with Oluseyi's effort. In response, our team failed to realize two good chances by Synchuk. Later, Oluseyi made a double, closing the ball out to his partner. In the 36th minute, the blue and yellows reduced the gap: Shershen made a throw forward, Synchuk took the ball, moved to the center and put it into the far corner. Before the break, we can also recall Ponomarenko's shot.
At the start of the second half, the teams exchanged inaccurate shots by Dippa and Osypenko. In the 63rd minute, Shevchenko did not use a great opportunity - the goalkeeper parried his shot from a few meters. Later, the English goalkeeper saved after attempts by Lomaga and Synchuk. And at the end of the match, Golambekis scored the final score after a corner kick, 3-1 in favor of the British.
Of course, one can be upset by the results of a very promising group of Ukrainian boys, from whom much is expected given the recent success of the U19 national team at the EURO (and winning a ticket to the World Youth Championship). However, as already mentioned, in reality, Mykhaylenko's team deserved more, and some players were simply impressive.
Also last week, important matches were played by the Ukrainian U-17 national team, which is playing in the first round of the 2015 UEFA European Championship qualifiers as part of a mini-tournament in Belgium. Yuriy Moroz's wards started with a match against Kosovo - and already in the 12th minute they were losing 0: 2.
However, the superior individual class of the Ukrainians and well-coordinated team actions helped them turn the tide of the game - two goals each from Croatian Hajduk striker Dmytro Zudin and Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Pavlo Liusin secured a 4-2 victory.
In the second match in the group against Kazakhstan, the blue and yellows had fewer problems, although they could not realize one of their many opportunities for quite some time. However, as soon as Dynamo Kyiv winger Ivan Andriyko opened the scoring in the 69th minute, everything went as it should have. Three minutes later, Rukh forward Arsen Zalipka doubled the Ukrainian advantage, and a minute later his teammate Muhammad Dzhurabayev scored again to make it 3-0.
Since the top two teams in each group advance to the second round of qualifying, the Ukrainians won a ticket to the next stage ahead of schedule, and they can go into the final match with the hosts of the mini-tournament, Belgium (who also qualified with six points) on Tuesday more relaxed.
Other aspects of Ukrainian football life
"Dynamo vs. One of the main matches of the season in the UPL is approaching - on October 27, Dynamo will play Shakhtar Donetsk at the Valeriy Lobanovsky Stadium in Kyiv. The incredible excitement is felt long before the game itself, including due to the huge demand for the very limited number of tickets allowed for sale.
On Sunday, Dynamo reaffirmed its commitment to combating illegal ticket resale by taking strict measures against attempts to speculate on a very high-profile event.
"In order to ensure that loyal fans get to the matches, FC Dynamo Kyiv continues to fight against those who try to speculate on tickets. We see all the attempts of resellers to circumvent the system and will not leave it without consequences.
Thanks to the analysis of our ticket operator, all accounts with suspicious transactions were blocked, and tickets purchased with violations were canceled. Tickets purchased through unofficial resources, from resellers or through circumventive means are invalid and do not entitle you to attend the match," the Kyiv club said(fcdynamo.com, 10/13/24).
By the way, the next day Dynamo announced that all tickets for the match against Shakhtar had been sold-two hours after the start of the open sale!
The First Lady of Ukraine and Dynamo players opened the stadium. The Olena Zelenska Foundation has restored the central stadium in Hostomel, which was damaged during the occupation in 2022.
To restore the arena, the Foundation attracted foreign partners: with the assistance of the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany, the donors were the Bayern Munich football club and the Bavarian Industrial Association. The stadium was equipped with two new mini-fields, outdoor lighting, an electronic scoreboard and the roof of the stand, and the locker rooms and coaching room were repaired.
"Today, more than 6200 children live in the de-occupied city, including IDPs. Therefore, creating a space for their development was extremely important for our team. I am glad that we managed to repair this stadium. I hope it will become a place where new teams and future football stars will appear," the President's wife said(President.gov.ua, 11.10.24).
At the invitation of the First Lady, players of Dynamo Kyiv also joined the event, making an unexpected surprise for the children. In particular, Volodymyr Brazhko, Denys Popov, and Christian Bilovar attended the event. The players of the first team of the white and blues did not come empty-handed, but with gifts for the young footballers - T-shirts and balls. The Dynamo players also talked to the children and gave them advice on how to go from children's to professional football.
"It is very nice to see many children practicing at this stadium, which was destroyed by Russian barbarians. It makes my heart warm to see this. When we see these happy eyes, it energizes us to win. Now the children have a beautiful stadium again where they can do their favorite thing," Christian Bilovar shared his impressions of the event(Fcdynamo.com, 11.10.24).
Orest LELEKA
