Unai Melgosa: "From a results and points perspective, we have achieved our goal"
Ukraine U-21 head coach Unai Melgosa commented on the EURO 2025 (U-21) qualifying match against Northern Ireland.
On September 10, Ukraine U-21 defeated Northern Ireland 2:1 at Ballymena’s Showgrounds Stadium in the EURO 2025 (U-21) qualifiers. Following the match, which secured Ukraine’s place in the final tournament, coach Unai Melgosa shared his thoughts.
“The team won, so from a results and points perspective, we achieved our goal. At the same time, in the second half, we felt strong pressure from Northern Ireland and lost our initiative, starting to lose duels. It’s good that we managed to hold on for the win. Unfortunately, we didn’t convert all our chances, but at the same time, we gained valuable experience from matches at this level and against teams of this style.
Nevertheless, despite some issues, overall, we were better than our opponents. I am satisfied with my players, not just Voloshyn and Bragaru. I don’t want to single out any particular player, as anyone can score in any match. I believe that at their age, they are doing very well. You can’t be relaxed or only slightly hungry for the game, as it’s then impossible to talk about achieving high goals. This applies to this qualifying tournament as well — we shouldn’t relax. At the same time, we should celebrate victories, but we need to maintain a balance between emotions and work,” said Unai Melgosa.
Remember, Ukraine U-21 will play their next EURO 2025 (U-21) qualifying match on October 11, away against England.
EURO 2025 (U-21) Qualifying Tournament. Group F
September 7, 2023
Northern Ireland - Luxembourg - 0:1
September 11, 2023
Luxembourg - England - 0:3
September 12, 2023
Ukraine - Northern Ireland - 1:0
Serbia - Azerbaijan - 2:0
October 12, 2023
Azerbaijan - Northern Ireland - 0:1
Luxembourg - Ukraine - 0:3
England - Serbia - 9:1
October 16, 2023
Ukraine - England - 3:2
Northern Ireland - Serbia - 1:2
October 17, 2023
Azerbaijan - Luxembourg - 3:2
November 17, 2023
Ukraine - Luxembourg - 4:0
November 18, 2023
Serbia - England - 0:3
November 21, 2023
Ukraine - Azerbaijan - 1:0
Serbia - Luxembourg - 2:0
England - Northern Ireland - 3:0
March 23, 2024
Azerbaijan - England - 1:5
Luxembourg - Serbia - 1:1
March 26, 2024
Azerbaijan - Ukraine - 0:3
Serbia - Northern Ireland - 1:2
England - Luxembourg - 7:0
September 6, 2024
Luxembourg - Azerbaijan - 2:0
Northern Ireland - England - 0:0
Ukraine - Serbia - 2:1
September 10, 2024
Northern Ireland - Ukraine - 1:2
Azerbaijan - Serbia - 0:2
Standings
| Team | M | W | D | L | GD | P | |
| 1 | Ukraine | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 19—4 | 24 |
| 2 | England | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 32—5 | 19 |
| 3 | Serbia | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 12—18 | 13 |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6—23 | 7 |
| 5 | Northern Ireland | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4—8 | 7 |
| 6 | Azerbaijan | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4—18 | 3 |
October 11, 2024
England vs. Ukraine
October 12, 2024
Northern Ireland vs. Azerbaijan
October 15, 2024
Luxembourg vs. Northern Ireland
England vs. Azerbaijan
Serbia vs. Ukraine
Play-offs: November 11-19, 2024.
In the final stage of EURO 2025 (U-21), 16 teams will compete: Slovakia and 15 other national teams that will join based on the qualification results (nine group winners, three best teams among the second-place finishers, and three play-off winners among the six second-place finishers).
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