Ruslan Rotan: "We are focused on correcting the situation after the Iraq match"

27.07.2024 13:00

Ahead of the match against Morocco, the Ukraine Olympic team head coach Ruslan Rotan discussed the main strengths of the upcoming opponent.

On July 24, the Ukraine Olympic team lost 1:2 to Iraq in their opening group-stage match of the 2024 Olympic football tournament. Coach Rotan outlined the team's objectives for the second match against Morocco.

"We need to focus on the upcoming game. What happened in the match against Iraq is part of sports. The most important thing is that we dominated in many aspects of the game. Unfortunately, such things happen in football. But we have a chance to make things right. If we strive for victory with the same determination, it will come. Our focus now is on correcting the situation.

Morocco is undoubtedly a very worthy opponent. Their squad is essentially the national team that reached the semifinals at the World Cup. This serves as a huge motivation for our players. Morocco is a highly skilled team with individually strong players. A win against such a team would be a significant psychological boost for us. We are preparing for this, although we know it will be tough. But after the first game, we have no other option," said Ruslan Rotan.

Official Roster of Ukraine's Olympic Football Team for the 2024 Games

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Forwards

The list includes 22 players, with four reserved spots.

According to the regulations, players born after January 1, 2001, are eligible to participate. Additionally, each team can include three players who are older than this age.

Olympics 2024: Men's Football Tournament Group B

July 24, 2024

Argentina - Morocco - 1:2

Iraq - Ukraine - 2:1

Standings

July 27, 2024

Argentina vs Iraq (16:00, Lyon)

Ukraine vs Morocco (18:00, Saint-Étienne)

July 30, 2024

Ukraine vs Argentina (18:00, Lyon)

Morocco vs Iraq (18:00, Nice)

All match times are in Kyiv time.

The two top teams from Group B advance to face representatives from Group A.

2024 Olympics. Men's Football Tournament

Group A: France, USA, Guinea, New Zealand.

Group B: Argentina, Morocco, Iraq, Ukraine.

Group C: Uzbekistan, Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic.

Group D: Japan, Paraguay, Mali, Israel.

The format of the Olympic tournament remains traditional: battling in four groups of four teams, with the top two advancing to the playoffs, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, the match for third place, and the final (August 9th, Paris, Parc des Princes).

It's worth recalling that last summer, by defeating France (3:1) in the quarterfinal match of the 2023 Euro (U-21) and securing a spot in the semifinals, our team achieved a historic success, earning the country the right to participate in the football tournament at the Olympics for the first time. Alongside Ukraine, Spain and Israel also obtained licenses for the 2024 Summer Games in this discipline through the 2023 U-21 Euro.

Participants in the men's football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games will compete from July 24th to August 9th in seven cities in France: Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Saint-Étienne, Nice, and Nantes. According to the regulations, players born after January 1, 2001, are eligible to participate. Additionally, each team can include three players older than this age.

In total, 16 national teams will participate in the tournament: France as the host, three teams representing Europe (Ukraine, Spain, Israel), three from Africa (Morocco, Egypt, Mali), three from Asia (Japan, Uzbekistan, Iraq), two from South America (Paraguay, Argentina), two from the CONCACAF region (USA, Dominican Republic), one from Oceania (New Zealand), and the winner of the intercontinental play-off (Guinea).