The day before, on September 30, the Ukrainian U-20 national team played their second match at the World Championship in Chile: Dmytro Mykhailenko’s team drew 1:1 with their counterparts from Panama. We discuss the game’s events in Valparaiso with the iconic coach of Lviv’s “Volyn,” Vitaliy Kvaratsyanyi.
Vitaliy Kvaratsyanyi— Vitaliy Volodymyrovych, what are your impressions of our boys' match against Panama? Personally, I have — very mixed feelings; it seems they didn’t lose, but somehow the substance of the game was completely disappointing.
— I am not part of the youth team structure, so I won’t criticize them, because when we sit on the couch near the TV, we all seem very wise. The guys tried, but not everything worked out; their eyes didn’t shine like they did in the first match of the World Championship.
But I congratulate the players and coaches on earning another point, and now we have four — that’s a good indicator. However, despite all this, it seems like the players don’t understand anything themselves and are waiting for the coaches to tell and show them everything. Why didn’t our players yesterday use the fact that we have a tall striker?
— Why didn’t you actively utilize Oleksandr Pishchur, why weren’t crosses made to him, do you think?
— Exactly! Pishchur has already shown how well he can play with his head when he scored against South Korea in the first match (2:1). There was one cross to him — and he converted it.
Yesterday he was running in the midfield, sliding in tackles, intercepting balls, passing left and right, but his teammates didn’t use his height, didn’t look for wingers to make crosses to him in the opponent’s penalty area. Why? They can’t even take a free kick properly, can’t do a corner kick correctly, not even throw it in from ten meters or further… Yet, everyone is in bandages.
Pishchur opens up, but they throw the ball at his groin, not his head. However, the only cross to Sasha led to a penalty against Panama; he jumped, was held, and the referee pointed to the spot. Pishchur didn’t score, it happens, nothing serious. Synchuk corrected it.
— Ukraine managed to score a quick goal against Panama, just like in the match against South Korea. Is this an instruction from Mykhailenko for a blitzkrieg, or is it just a coincidence?
— I don’t know what the instruction for the match was, I’m not part of the coaching staff of our youth team. I don’t communicate with the players. However, why do players who are trusted to play not fully understand the responsibility placed on them? It’s not the coaches; they are the ones playing on the field. Yesterday, our goalkeeper Krapyvtsov played like he was in a village championship — kicking the ball anywhere. Why not make a purposeful long pass?
— In the match against Panama, the head coach made only one change in the starting lineup compared to the previous match, but put out three strikers and modified the system from 4−4−2 to 4−3−3. Did playing with three strikers prove effective?
— Where did you see three forwards there?
— Synchuk, Derkach, and Pishchur.
— Besides Pishchur, no one played true striker yesterday. Oleksandr could have scored, but, I repeat, they didn’t cross to him, and he didn’t have opportunities to play with his head, to finish off a cross. Interestingly, when Pishchur left the field, suddenly our players started making crosses into the box. To whom? The players of the Ukrainian national team didn’t notice the elephant!
My opinion is that about 40% of the players on this team do not match the level of the national team; they need to play futsal. They chose a slightly different type of sport, got confused.
I am not the coach of the youth team, but I am sure a player like Ponomarenko must play. If Mikhavko and Salenko were also there, it would have formed a striking group. I believe that the duo of Ponomarenko and Pishchur would look very potent. That’s my opinion; I hope the youth team coaches won’t hold it against me.
— Who do you consider the best player for the Ukrainian national team in this match? For me, without a doubt — it’s Synchuk; do you share my opinion?
— Yesterday I didn’t notice a single player who really played well. Synchuk looked great in the first game at the World Championship 2025.
I also want to mention our goalkeeper. There is a separate coach for goalkeepers in the national team camp. So why does Krapyvtsov play like this? In the first match against South Korea, there was a cross; he came out, got hit, and that’s it — he stopped playing off his line. And in the second half, we conceded a goal when Krapyvtsov just stood there! And the goal that was disallowed for a millimeter offside is also on Krapyvtsov’s conscience.
And in the match against Panama, they score against him with a header again. Yes, the defenders are also to blame; they allowed the cross and didn’t cover the opponent in the center of defense, but… If we hadn’t conceded this goal, it would have been three points, and we would have already progressed to the Round of 16.
Why did Krapyvtsov stop playing off his line? Did he already finish his career? Well, he signed a contract with “Girona,” he is living the good life, but he needs to play football.
There’s no football without injuries; you shouldn’t be afraid to go into tackles, to play off your line, like Courtois in the match “Atletico” — “Real.” The score was 5:2; he couldn’t care less about that aerial battle. Why should I break myself?
— You’ve already said quite a lot about Oleksandr Pishchur. What do you think of his individual skills? Will he become a player?
— He will! One hundred percent, but he needs to have a coach who will understand him. Right now, Dima Mykhailenko trusts him, and it’s paying off. Later, he will reminisce about where Pishchur will play.
Oleksandr is a bit dependent; sometimes he has no one to pass to or cross. Just like at “Manchester City,” where there’s also a tall striker, I’m talking about Haaland; even the goalkeeper Alisson gives him crosses from one end of the field to the other, and Erling either decides himself or lays off for his partners, and they score.
— You’ve uncovered Oleksandr Pishchur-senior at “Volyn”: what are the similarities and differences in playing characteristics between father and son?
— Both really love football. They give everything in the game one hundred percent. As far as I know, Sasha-junior doesn’t waste his time on partying and girls, although maybe he has some girl, I don’t know for sure. But it’s clear that football is his priority. Maybe he spends a bit too much time on the phone, but that’s a disease of the current youth.
I remember Sasha-senior trained in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Every day, Pishchur-senior trained three to four times a day, and he was never injured! And I had very serious workloads.
— That’s a well-known fact...
— Pishchur-senior worked hard, giving himself to practices. He was tough in a good way. His son is more shy, a cultured young man.
I have been following the younger Pishchur for a long time, since I saw how he played for Munkach in Kovel. It was immediately clear that he had good potential. I have been watching him for a long time and know that his father used to pay close attention to his training.
Everything possible needs to be squeezed out of him. I think that even if something hurts him, he won’t say anything and will keep training and playing.
— Synchuk will miss the final group stage game of World Cup 2025 due to yellow card accumulation. Who could replace Hennadii in attack competently?
— Of course, he is a strong player, one of the leaders, but it seems that he is selling himself at this World Championship. It’s clear that he is holding back, not going for challenges, and there are no bruises on him. Pele outplayed, Maradona outplayed, Garrincha did too, while Synchuk tries to outmaneuver the opponent.
In my opinion, Ponomarenko should play. He is well-trained, knows how to score; he’s a tractor who can plow. And, as I said, his connection with Pishchur should look very powerful.
— Currently, Ukraine and Paraguay have four points each, and a draw in the direct confrontation will suit both us and our opponents, no matter the score. Should we expect a game where both teams won’t particularly strive, or shouldn’t we look for conspiracy theories at a tournament level of the youth World Championship?
— If I were in their shoes, I would have understood each other in some way, with hints, Morse code, or however else. It’s like, 'Guys, let’s play intelligently and without injuries; nobody needs this. A draw, and both of us advance.' We need to be diplomats.
— And finally, who do you think from this youth team might grow up or has already grown up to the level of our national team within a year or two? Are there any Ukrainian Yamals in Mykhailenko’s team?
— There are no Yamals (smiles). But there are good guys. Like Synchuk, for example. However, he takes too much upon himself, and not everything is working out so far, but he is being excused in the national team; still, he needs to change to move to a better, higher level.
And, of course, I expect progress from Pishchur and Ponomarenko. This trio could grow into the national team, and the rest of the guys should try hard. They also have every chance to grow into good footballers if they work diligently on themselves.
Viktor Glukhneky
