The head coach of the Ukraine U-20 national team, Dmytro Mykhailenko, criticized Panama’s playing style after the blue-yellow team’s second match at the 2025 World Cup. The match ended in a 1:1 draw.
Dmytro Mykhailenko. Photo: Getty Images“Panama adjusted, starting to direct us to the left flank. We were unprepared for this in the first half, and we also had problems creating chances in the second half. We were a bit hasty, nervous. On the one hand, we didn’t let Panama create anything, but we expected many more chances and shots to be made.
The opponent very often wasted time in the second half: they lay down, took breaks. There was no tempo, but we still needed to create more, apply pressure, and act more aggressively in the penalty area,” said Mykhailenko.
