Ruslan Rotan: "Result is disappointing, but Japan match will benefit us"

Ukraine's Olympic team head coach, Ruslan Rotan, has commented on the team's first-ever match.

On March 26th, as part of their preparations for the 2024 Games, Ukraine's Olympic team played a friendly match against Japan's U-23 squad, resulting in a 0:2 loss. Ruslan Rotan, the head coach of the Ukrainian team, shared his thoughts on his team's performance in Fukuoka.

"We had a very beneficial friendly against a strong opponent. We're very grateful to the Japanese for their warm welcome and this game. Of course, we were well aware of what awaited us - a long flight, layovers, waiting, and adjusting to different time zones. Perhaps that's why we essentially only had enough energy for the first half. Against such an opponent, that wasn't sufficient. Japan's team is highly organized, disciplined, and tactically well-trained. I consider them one of the favorites for the Asia Cup (U-23)," said Ruslan Rotan.

"This was just the beginning of our preparation for the Olympics. The result is disappointing, but this match will be beneficial for us. Our main task now is to get clear answers from the clubs regarding the release of players for the Olympic Games. We will engage in active dialogue with them," Rotan added.

It's worth noting that on March 20th, Ukraine learned their opponents for the 2024 Olympic football tournament. Placed in the fourth pot, Ukraine will face Argentina, Morocco, and a third Asian team in Group B. The matches for the Ukrainian team are scheduled for July 24th, 27th, and 30th.

Olympics 2024: Men's Football Tournament Schedule

Group A: France, USA, winner of the intercontinental play-off, New Zealand.

Group B: Argentina, Morocco, AFC-3, Ukraine.

Group C: AFC-2, Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic.

Group D: AFC-1, Paraguay, Mali, Israel.

Group B Schedule

July 24, 2024

Argentina vs Morocco (16:00, St. Etienne)

AFC-3 vs Ukraine (20:00, Lyon)

July 27, 2024

Argentina vs AFC-3 (16:00, Lyon)

Ukraine vs Morocco (18:00, St. Etienne)

July 30, 2024

Ukraine vs Argentina (18:00, Lyon)

Morocco vs AFC-3 (18:00, Nice)

Match start times are in Kyiv time.

The top two teams from Group B will advance to represent the group in the next round.

The Olympic tournament follows a traditional format: teams compete in four groups of four, with the top two from each group progressing to the knockout stage, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, a match for third place, and the final on August 9th at Parc des Princes in Paris.

Recall that last summer, by defeating France (3:1) in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Euro (U-21) and reaching the semi-finals, our team achieved a historic success, securing the country's first-ever appearance at the Olympic football tournament. Alongside Ukraine, Spain and Israel secured licenses for the 2024 Summer Olympics from Europe in this discipline through the 2023 Euro U21.

As of today, 12 participants of the men's football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games are known, who will compete from July 24th to August 9th in seven cities in France: Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne, Nice, and Nantes. According to the regulations, players born after January 1, 2001, can participate in the competition. In addition, each team can include three players older than this age.

In total, 16 teams will participate in the tournament: France as the host, three teams will represent Europe (Ukraine, Spain, Israel), three - Africa (Morocco, Egypt, Mali), three - Asia (to be known by May 3), two - South America (Paraguay, Argentina), two - CONCACAF zone (USA, Dominican Republic), one - Oceania (New Zealand), and the winner of the play-off between the fourth teams of Africa (Guinea) and Asia will join them.