Former defender of Kyiv’s Dynamo Oleg Kuznetsov shared his thoughts on the defeat of the youth national team of Ukraine against Denmark (2:3) in the opening match of Euro-2025 (U-21) and talked about expectations for the next match of the Ukrainian youth team in the tournament — against Finland.
Oleg Kuznetsov— Oleg Vladimirovich, why did we lose to Denmark?
— According to all the forecasts, the Danes were the favorites of the matchup. But if we talk about the game itself, the Ukrainian team should not have lost, considering how the match unfolded. However, individual mistakes in defense nullified the efforts of the whole team. And interestingly, in the qualifying round, we were one of the best teams in terms of goals conceded, but here we conceded three goals immediately.
Moreover, before the start of the tournament, the blue and yellows played a controlled match with a strong Spanish team with a score of zero. What happened in defense in the game against Denmark is hard to say. Perhaps it was a lack of coordination, confusion. But it is certain that these were not the typical mistakes of Unai Melgosa’s wards.
— Any loss is disappointing. But won’t this setback at the start of the tournament prevent the Ukrainians from being as ready as possible for the match against Finland?
— Yes, the result is unpleasant, but it is not critical. In this format, it is rare for favorites to take maximum points in the first two rounds and the third match day turns into a formality. And as the game between Finland and the Netherlands showed, the real struggle in our group is yet to come. Now we have nowhere to escape — we must beat the Finns. Everything is still in our hands.
— By the way, in the match you mentioned between Finland and the Netherlands, a draw was recorded (2:2). Is this what we need?
— It’s hard to say, but it’s not the worst option for us. Before the tournament, everyone said that the main favorite of our group is the Netherlands national team, but as we saw, they only saved themselves from defeat in the added time. It is also worth noting that their "youth team" has not lost at the official level for four years...
Of course, the most optimal scenario would be: we beat Denmark, and the Netherlands beat Finland. And in the second round, our victory would guarantee a playoff spot. But for now, we have what we have. I don’t want to bring it to the worst scenarios, but even a draw with the Finns under certain circumstances can leave us a chance to advance from the group.
— How much rotation do you expect from Unai Melgosa for the match against Finland?
— Judging by the fact that the defense failed to fulfill its duties, we might see a couple of substitutions there. Rubchinsky and Bragaru did not impress, and I also do not rule out the possibility that Vyunnyk, who performed well in the game against Denmark, may start instead of Vanat. Perhaps Yarmolyuk will also appear in the starting lineup. Although there won’t be any drastic changes. I think we will see no more than four new players in the starting lineup. It is very important that all the players in our team are competitive.
— It seemed that the Ukrainian national team lacked strength in the game against Denmark. How can this be avoided in the match against Finland?
— There is no way to avoid it. It all depends on the preparation before the tournament; I do not know how it went. How can we talk about any fatigue when many players, like Voloshin, Bragaru, did not have regular match practice in their clubs, and Brazhko started playing consistently only at the end of the season? Moreover, I did not notice any significant fatigue. Here, most likely, it’s all about the moral state. I would suggest that the team excelled in the qualifying tournament, then won against Spain in a friendly match, so at some point, the players became overly confident or complacent thinking they could defeat Denmark by skill.
— What is your prediction for the match against Finland?
— The Ukraine national team will win with a score of 3:0.
— So, conclusions will be drawn after the first round?
— Naturally. Since a failure in the game with the Finns will send the national team of Ukraine home in advance.
Sergey Demyanchuk
