Silver medalist of the 2006 U21 Euro Taras Mykhailik shared his expectations for this year’s U-20 World Cup match between Ukraine and Paraguay.
— Taras, based on the results of the two previous matches against South Korea (2:1) and Panama (1:1), what can you say about the level of our U-20 team’s play?
— At times, our guys are playing quite well. I was worried during the game against the Koreans, but we won. And right after the victory over South Korea, discussions started, saying we were one foot in the Round of 16, but in tournaments like the World Cup, every game is crucial. We cannot relax.
I believe that Ukraine should advance further, but… Let’s not predict too much, let’s see. I am optimistically tuned for the game.
— In this match, both Ukraine and Paraguay would be happy with a draw. This has happened many times even in major tournaments, when such situations arise, and suddenly the game ends in a tie.
Should we count on a points split in the match of the «blue-and-yellows» against the Paraguayans? After all, the footballers are not fools; they understand everything.
— Footballers are not fools, they understand everything (smiling). Yes, there have been matches in history where both sides were satisfied with a draw and that’s how the game ended, but… You know, our guys shouldn’t think about this, they need to be focused and play for the win, because if you aim for a draw, you might unexpectedly concede and not be able to come back in the end. I wouldn’t want that. Why do we need those problems?
I don’t think that Ukrainians and Paraguayans will go onto the field just to walk around. This is the World Cup, not just a friendly match. Young guys need to prove themselves, show their worth.
— In this match against Paraguay, Sychnuk, a bright attacking winger, will miss due to too many yellow cards. Should we expect that Matviy Ponomarenko, who is not his positional colleague, will replace him, and Mykhailenko will decide to play with two forwards? Vitaliy Kvarsian said in one of his interviews that the combination of Pyshchur-Ponomarenko would be lethal.
— Mykhailenko selected the squad and calculated precisely not for 11 performers, so he will find a way to replace Sychnuk. In general, Hennadiy showed great performance in the two previous matches.
As for the lethal pair, Kvarsian would also add Stepanov to Pyshchur and Ponomarenko (smiling). And he would play his Volyn football, which once brought results. Vitaliy Volodymyrovych indeed likes strong players.
However, again, since both us and Paraguay would be satisfied with a draw, why does Mykhailenko need a striking duo for this match? If we needed a win at all costs, then yes, but for now, I doubt it very much.
Regarding Pyshchur personally, I liked his level based on how he performed in the first two games of the World Cup. He does a big volume of work, scored a goal, earned a penalty.
— Not only you and Kvarsian sympathize with Pyshchur; he is praised by experts and fans. Don’t you think that after the World Cup, a serious club from the Ukrainian Premier League will call him? What does he need that Hungarian Diósgyőr for, which hardly anyone in Ukraine has even heard of?
— If he continues to play like this at the World Cup, many will pay attention to him, not just scouts from UPL clubs. If only Stepanov were invited as well…
— Who else, besides Stepanov, could realistically strengthen the national team, but he is not in the «blue-and-yellow» lineup for the World Cup?
— Our winger Artem Husol (Mykhailik works as an assistant to the head coach of the Kovalivskyi «Koloss,» Ruslan Kostiashyn — ed.). He would definitely not be a hindrance, even though he is not always stable, but that’s youth speaking. Overall, he has good potential, primarily speed. But a lot of work is still needed with him.
— Husol was called up to the national team, but «Koloss» didn’t let him go?
— There was no official call-up to the «youth team» for Husol.
— As is the custom, lastly, I would like to hear your prediction for the match Ukraine — Paraguay.
— You said at the beginning of the conversation that a draw would suit both teams (smiling).
— Do you think it will be a scoring draw or a goalless one?
— It doesn’t matter as long as our guys advance. 0:0 or 1:1. In general, I wish them to win.
This U-20 national team of Ukraine has a lot of potential. I remember how everyone praised the U-21 before Euro-2025 or the national team before Euro-2024 — «golden generation,» almost all players were from European clubs… They predicted that they would achieve great results, and what happened in the end? Neither the U-21 nor the main team advanced from the groups…
I wouldn’t want a repeat of such a scenario for Dmitri Mykhailenko’s boys.
Viktor Hlukhenkyi