The national team of Ukraine held its first training session after returning from Germany. All Friday in Bardo was sunny, which delighted tourists whose numbers noticeably increase towards the end of the week in the national park with its picturesque landscapes and unique scenery.

The Ukrainian team in Slovenia is not here for tourism; most of their training sessions are held in the evening. And this pre-alpine region has a peculiar climate characteristic: it often starts raining around 5 PM. The explanation is simple: it's hot all day, and then it rains in the evening. This makes breathing easier and allows football players to work more comfortably than in stuffy conditions. Today’s evening training started amid expectations of heavy rain: during the second half of practice, dark clouds loomed over the mountains. However, despite the smell of impending rain, the clouds never reached the football field until the team had finished their workout.

Photos by the UAF press service

Before the arrival of the foreign players, whose list head coach Oleksandr Petrakov announced today, there are currently 22 players at the Slovenian training camp. Viktor Tsygankov was waiting for the team's return to Bardo and joined the main group of players today. Viktor worked alongside everyone during both practice drills and game series, notably scoring an impressive goal from a sharp angle after outmaneuvering the goalkeeper. Meanwhile, Artem Dovbik practiced separately from the rest under the supervision of national team doctor Roman Zhlobaylyuk and fitness coach Ivan Bashthovy to help him recover from leg muscle discomfort.

Photos by the UAF press service

At the same time, Oleksiy Hushchylak, who sustained a lateral collateral ligament injury requiring two weeks of recovery, remained in the camp while the team was in Germany.

Today's training session, which head coach Petrakov called "football joy," focused on technical skills, ball control and passing during various game drills and series. Such sessions aim to lift players' spirits after a friendly match against Borussia, which was played at a high tempo and took quite a toll in both physical and emotional terms.

Given that the training session left the boys somewhat tired but with good spirits, the coaching staff achieved their goal. Tomorrow, the national team will return to a twice-a-day training schedule.

Oleksandr Glyvinskyi, press secretary of Ukraine's national team

Photos by the UAF press service

List of players for Ukraine's national team

Goalkeepers: Georgiy Bushchan («Dynamo» Kyiv), Andriy Pyatov, Anatoliy Trubin (both — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Dmytro Riznyk («Vorskla» Poltava), Andriy Lunin («Real Madrid», Spain).

Defenders: Oleksandr Karavayev, Illia Zabarnyi, Oleksandr Syrota, Danylo Popov (all — «Dynamo» Kyiv), Mykhailo Matviyenko, Valeriy Bondar, Yurii Konoplyanka (all — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Vitaliy Mykolenko («Everton», England), Eduard Sobolev («Brugge», Belgium), Taras Kachaраба («Slavia», Czech Republic).

Midfielders: Taras Stepanenko, Mykhailo Mudryk (both — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Serhiy Sydorchuk, Viktor Tsygankov, Mykhailo Shaparenko, Vitaliy Buyalskyi, Danylo Harmash (all — «Dynamo» Kyiv), Serhiy Bulhatsa («Zorya» Luhansk), Oleksandr Pichalynok (SK «Dnipro-1»), Andriy Yarmolenko («West Ham», England), Oleksandr Zinchenko («Manchester City», England), Ruslan Malinovskiy («Atalanta», Italy), Oleksandr Zubkov («Ferencváros», Hungary).

Forwards: Artem Dovbik (SK «Dnipro-1»), Artem Besedin («Dynamo» Kyiv), Roman Yaremchuk («Benfica», Portugal), Danilo Sikan («Hansa», Germany).