The Dutch are surprised at how easily they managed to beat Ukraine (2:0), although they consider their team one of the weakest in many years and were confident that they would leave the tournament after the game with the Ukrainians. Local fans call the team led by Unai Melgosa faceless, lacking interesting players and outstanding individuals who could perform at a high level. Just a day before the match, they recalled previous games against the Ukrainian youth team, including those with teams containing Milevsky and Aliyev, Zinchenko and Lunin, Yarmolenko and Konoplyanka. This year’s team was called "gray" even against the backdrop of "one of the worst" Dutch teams.
Photo: gettyimages.com
Fortuin: I thought Ukraine would eliminate us without problems. They always have strong youth. But here—no game, as if the guys just went out to fulfill their duty. I expected more from them. Especially against the backdrop of our weak team.
Theo: A win is a win, but I have a strange feeling—it’s like we beat a third-rate team, even though Ukraine has always been very dangerous, they have always had individually strong footballers.
Grot: If we can beat Ukraine with such a lineup, it means they are really struggling right now. They used to always put up a fight, but here they practically gifted us the victory and advancement to the next round.
Swanenberg: We played mediocrely, without ideas, but it was enough to win for the first time in this tournament. This is a worrying signal for the Ukrainian national team, which failed this match. Unfortunately, this won’t help us, because the Portuguese will destroy us in the next round.
WistNL: I’m a bit older, so I even remember matches against Milevsky and Aliyev—those were real battles, a delight for the eyes, as there were many technical players on both sides. And now? There’s not a single Ukrainian player who would struggle for the ball or be a leader. I believe that our victory is a result of the Ukrainians and their weak game.
Lucab: I have the feeling that Ukraine today didn’t even want to win. A very strange, lifeless team. It’s unclear how they even made it to the tournament in Slovakia.
Melan: Absolutely a sad team for Ukraine, faceless, forgettable. They used to always have cool players, there were team leaders and just technical and bright players. Without even looking it up, I can remember matches from the same Euro 2006, Aliyev with a great shot, Milevsky with amazing technique. A bit later they had Konoplyanka, who would run all over the field, young Yarmolenko, Zinchenko, Lunin. Where are footballers of such level? Honestly, before the match, I was sure that we were a faceless team, but against the backdrop of Ukrainians, we didn’t look bad!
Duits: I watched the match and kept waiting for the Ukrainians to start showing their football. But I never got to see it. I think our journalists and experts overestimated the level of Ukrainians after the victory over Finland.
Aaron: To be honest, I expected a loss, which would have been a logical conclusion to this tournament. But during the match, I saw that the Ukrainians were even worse. That was truly a surprise. We won, but it wasn’t that we were strong—it was that the opponent was very weak.
Loudbry: The Ukrainian national team has lost its identity. Where is the character, where is the struggle, the usual aggression? It feels like a soulless team stepped onto the field. No fire, no passion, nothing. Against their backdrop, even our team finally started playing football.
Kleppe: I thought the Ukrainians would pile on, play on the flanks as before. But it turned out to be just a gloomy ball movement. The Ukrainian team without Yarmolenko, Konoplyanka, or Zinchenko is a completely different team. Without charisma. I don’t even know those guys who ran on the field in Ukrainian uniforms today.
A3: A win that doesn’t bring joy. Because it feels like if Ukraine were even slightly stronger, we would have lost. I’m very surprised by the level of the Ukrainian team. Usually, they have technique and speed, but here there were only mistakes and chaos.
Beheer: When I remembered how at one time Lunin saved everything in sight, but now the Ukrainian goalkeeper didn’t even stand out—it was sad, because we were simply gifted this victory. I’m happy about the win, but I’m afraid that our mediocre team can easily take 3 points in such a match. And I fear that Portugal will severely punish us for such football.
ChrlieDeJong: Ukraine was so toothless that even our center defense looked like a monolith. When has that happened? The win came too easily, as we have neither stars nor leaders. Just collective play, and that’s it.
1965: We played without creativity, and they were completely without everything. That wasn’t football, it was some kind of boredom. It seems that Ukrainian football is experiencing a serious crisis. If the youth plays like this, even without desire, it means they are not interested in performing for the national team in a prestigious tournament. We are familiar with this problem.
Braziliano: The current youth of Ukraine is like a shadow of those generations we saw before. Strange. But when you look at the performances of their clubs in European competitions and the national team, it becomes clear that they have serious problems with football in the country.
Cruoninga: Where is their famous school of "Dynamo" and "Shakhtar"? Why is there no noticeable talent? The youth of Ukraine used to always fight until the end. Today—it’s like no one needs anything. It seems to me that our footballers didn’t even expect that it could be so easy to win.
Arjen: A team without stars, without emotions, without movement. A very sad Ukrainian national team. We won easily, but I wouldn’t be happy, because with Portugal we could be in for a rout.
Linstra: They looked like a team without a coach and without a plan. They just went out and lost. I even feel a little sorry for their fans, because football is one of the few reasons for them to rejoice amid all these terrible events.
Nemad: I look at Ukraine—and I can’t believe it. Such a rich football country, and such a level of the youth team... Sad, but probably it’s to be expected against the backdrop of a protracted war. And it’s unlikely that Ukraine will play better in the near future; more likely the opposite.
