Head coach of Ukraine's youth team, Oleg Kuznetsov, commented on the result of their first match in the elite round of Euro 2022 (U-17) qualification — against Kosovo.

"The game was tough, but it's good that we won," said Oleg Volodymyrovych to the official website of the UAF. "We controlled the ball more, while the opponent tried to play on counterattacks. It was noticeable that our boys lacked playing practice. Club training is one thing, but they were clearly lacking in game readiness. If we could have played one or two friendlies before the elite round, I think it would have been easier."

Throughout the entire match, it was evident that without physical fitness, the mind doesn't work as well either. Despite this, it's important to note that all the boys tried their best and really wanted to win — mainly due to their character. In terms of tournament standings, this game doesn't decide much, but psychologically, the victory will definitely help the players prepare better for the next match.

We'll have a theoretical session where we'll analyze the game against Kosovo, point out mistakes to our wards, and then move on to studying Poland's team, which will be no less challenging.

Elite Round of Euro 2022 (U-17)

Group 6

April 20, 2022

Kosovo — Ukraine — 0:2

Italy — Poland — 1:0

April 23, 2022

Ukraine — Poland 13.00

Italy — Kosovo 16.00

April 26, 2022

Ukraine — Italy 16.00

Poland — Kosovo 16.00

The final tournament will take place from May 16 to June 1 in Israel.

If Oleg Kuznetsov's wards overcome the elite round of qualification and finish first in Group 6, they will play in Group A alongside Israel, Germany, and Luxembourg. If Ukraine finishes second in their group, they may end up in Group B with France, Netherlands, and Bulgaria. However, for this to happen, they need to show a better result than Hungary, who secured the second spot in Group 1 with one gold point (in matches against the first and third teams) and a goal difference of -2.

Final Tournament Euro 2022 (U-17)

Group A: Israel, Germany, winner of Group 6, Luxembourg.

Group B: France, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Hungary or second team from Group 6.

Group C: Serbia, Spain, Turkey, Belgium.

Group D: Denmark, Portugal, Scotland, Sweden.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals.

Group Stage

Round 1: May 16/17.

Round 2: May 19/20.

Round 3: May 22/23.

Quarter-finals: May 25/26.

Semifinals: May 29.

Final: June 1.