The youth national team of Ukraine U-17 (players no older than 2008) has completed its participation in the second round of Euro-2025 qualifiers. One of the best players on the team was Pavlo Lyusin, who also became the team’s top scorer in this round. The Dynamo midfielder shared his impressions of playing for the national team.
Pavlo Lyusin. Photo: fcdynamo.com— Pavlo, what were your thoughts going into Croatia? Did you understand who would be the favorite and your competitor in the fight for a place in the final tournament?
— We went with thoughts solely about victory despite the fact that all the opponents in the group were strong — both Italy, Croatia, and Slovakia. I think Italy was the favorite, and this was evident from their gameplay.
— Can we say that the defeat against Croatia in the opening round was decisive in the fight for first place and qualification for Euro-2025?
— I think not. You always have to believe in yourself, believe that everything is possible. We could have beaten Italy and Slovakia, and Croatia could lose to the Italians, then we would have had a chance to take first place in the group.
— Up to the 90th minute of the match against Italy, you were leading, but ultimately lost. Is this the most disappointing defeat in your career?
— Probably, yes. We understood that we could have won against this team — and then we would have preserved our chances of getting to Euro. Throughout the first half, we controlled the ball more, we could have scored more. And in the second half, our team “fell off.” Up to the 90th minute, we were leading, but we just weren’t lucky.
— How did you prepare for the match against Slovakia, which had no tournament motivation in terms of qualifying for the Euro?
— The motivation to play for the honor of the country is always there and for all matches, even for those that mean nothing. Although this match still had tournament motivation — it was decided which of the two teams would remain in League A.
— After scoring two goals, you became the team’s top scorer in the elite round. Can we say that somewhere the forwards didn’t do their job? How do you assess your own performance?
— I gave my all on the field so that our team could qualify for Euro. But we lacked a bit of luck. The forwards also tried hard, everything worked out for them, but in the final phase, they were a bit unlucky.
— What are your team’s tasks now, considering that you didn’t accomplish the goal of qualifying for Euro-2025?
— We will have several gatherings already in the composition of the U18 national team of Ukraine. Our team will be preparing for the qualifiers for the European Championship — 2027 already in the U19 category, to show good results there.
