EURO 2024. Latest from Ukraine's camp: journey to Düsseldorf and unique training session ahead of Slovakia clash

20.06.2024 23:53

The Ukraine national team traveled the nearly 200 km from Taunusstein to Düsseldorf, departing at 11:00 and arriving at their transfer hotel in the city of their second EURO 2024 match at 13:20.

Given the frequent train delays in Germany and the need to travel between hotels and train stations, the team's general manager, Oleksiy Targonskyi, opted for the most time-efficient and straightforward journey using a single mode of transport.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

Upon arrival and after some rest, the team headed to the Paul Janes Stadium for their official training session. As previously reported, the organizers are preserving the turf at the Düsseldorf Arena. Head coach Serhiy Rebrov and player Oleksandr Zinchenko attended the official press conference at the main venue and then assessed the pitch. Zinchenko expressed hope that the grass would be trimmed before the game, as it was too high.

After the media events, the coach and player hurried to join the pre-match training, which began at 19:45 Kyiv time. Once the home ground of Fortuna Düsseldorf, the Paul Janes Stadium also holds the record for the highest fan attendance watching a football match on a screen. In 2006, 12,600 fans watched a World Cup game in the stadium's fan zone, the largest number at a non-match venue during that World Cup.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

Today, about 30 special guests — defenders of Azovstal who had been held captive by Russia and severely wounded — attended the national team's pre-match training. These heroes are currently undergoing rehabilitation and were invited to the EURO 2024 match by the UAF. Approximately 300 Ukrainian veterans will attend Ukraine's group matches at the European Championship. Among those at the training were many Mariupol soldiers and a dedicated Zorya Luhansk fan. UAF President Andriy Shevchenko spoke and took photos with the defenders. The veterans attracted significant interest from foreign media representatives, many of whom interviewed our heroes. The veterans highlighted that around 1,500 defenders of Azovstal remain in Russian captivity, with the total number of Ukrainian prisoners under Putin's regime being several thousand more.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

The blue-yellows conducted their traditional pre-game session, focusing on match preparation and finalizing the starting lineup. A pleasant update: defender Vitaliy Mykolenko trained with the general group for the first time since the match in Moldova. The team worked on tactical drills and set-piece routines.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

Ukraine squad for EURO 2024

Goalkeepers: 1. Georgiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kyiv), 12. Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica, Portugal), 23. Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid, Spain).

Defenders: 22. Mykola Matviyenko, 2. Yukhym Konoplia, 21. Valeriy Bondar (all Shakhtar Donetsk), 24. Oleksandr Tymchyk (Dynamo Kyiv), 16. Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton, England), 13. Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth, England), 3. Oleksandr Svatok (FC Dnipro-1 Dnipro), 4. Maksym Talovierov (LASK Linz, Austria), 26. Bohdan Mykhaylichenko (Polissya Zhytomyr).

Midfielders: 7. Andriy Yarmolenko, 19. Mykola Shaparenko, 18. Volodymyr Brazhko (all Dynamo Kyiv), 6. Taras Stepanenko, 20. Oleksandr Zubkov, 14. Georgiy Sudakov (all Shakhtar Donetsk), 17. Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal, England), 15. Viktor Tsygankov (Girona, Spain), 10. Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea, England), 5. Serhiy Sydorchuk (Westerlo, Belgium), 8. Ruslan Malinovskyi (Genoa, Italy).

Forwards: 11. Artem Dovbyk (Girona, Spain), 9. Roman Yaremchuk (Valencia, Spain), 25. Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo Kyiv).

EURO 2024 Group E: Schedule and Results

June 17: Romania vs Ukraine - 3:0

June 17: Belgium vs Slovakia - 0:1

Standings

June 21: Slovakia vs Ukraine. Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf. Kick-off: 16:00 Kyiv time.

June 22: Belgium vs Romania. Cologne Stadium, Cologne. Kick-off: 22:00 Kyiv time.

June 26: Slovakia vs Romania. Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

June 26: Ukraine vs Belgium. Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

Kick-off times are in Kyiv time.

Oleksandr Hlyvynskyi, Press Secretary of the National Team of Ukraine