Volodymyr Pyatenko: "Ukraine won’t lack support in Antalya"

26.11.2024 14:00

On November 29, Ukraine's women's national team will play the first match of the second playoff round for a spot in the EURO 2025 finals. The game against Belgium will take place in Antalya, Turkiye.

Head coach Volodymyr Pyatenko shared the latest updates from the team's camp in an interview with the UAF official website:

— We started our final preparation stage on November 20, but it wasn’t until Monday evening that the squad was complete with the arrival of the players based abroad. Unfortunately, Yana Derkach, who plays for the Turkish club Fomget, got injured in her last league match. We had to urgently call up Lesya Olkhova from Metalist 1925 as her replacement.

— How are the weather conditions for training?

— We can’t complain. When we first arrived, strong winds were a bit of a challenge, but in recent days, the weather has been warm and sunny, perfect for training.

— What do you know about the Belgian team?

— Almost all their players compete for clubs abroad. They typically play with a holding midfielder when defending and use an attacking 4-3-3 formation in the opponent's half. The Belgians are compact during transitional phases and rely on vertical passes. Although they rank higher, our team has its strengths. We're preparing to play for a win.

— Playoff matches have their challenges, don’t they?

— Absolutely. There’s no time for hesitation — you need maximum focus, and every detail matters. Any mistakes made in the first match might not be fixable. The players fully understand this, and their mindset is determined and battle-ready.

— Due to Russian aggression, Ukraine must host matches abroad. Do you expect fan support in Antalya?

— Yes, we’ve been informed that Ukrainian refugees in Turkiye are planning to support us. Additionally, members of Ukraine’s rowing team, who are training here for the upcoming season, will be in attendance. Ukraine won’t lack support in Antalya. We’ll do our best not to disappoint them.

In the first playoff round, Volodymyr Pyatenko's team eliminated Turkiye (1:1, 2:0). Now, in the second round, the Blue and Yellows will compete for a spot at the European Championship against Belgium, who defeated Greece over two legs (0:0, 5:0).

The Ukrainian coach has called up 24 players for the matches against Belgium.

Ukraine Women’s National Team Squad

Goalkeepers: Kateryna Samson (Vorskla Poltava), Darya Kelyushyk (Kolos Kovalivka), Daryna Bondarchuk (Metalist 1925 Kharkiv).

Defenders: Kateryna Korsun, Yana Kotyk, Iryna Podolska, Maryna Shainyuk (all Vorskla Poltava), Darya Apanashchenko, Olha Basanska (both Metalist 1925 Kharkiv), Lyubov Shmatko, Yana Derkach (both Fomget, Turkey).

Midfielders: Viktoriya Hiryn (Ladomyr Volodymyr), Veronika Andrukhiv, Dayana Semkiv (both Kolos Kovalivka), Yana Kalinina (Vorskla Poltava), Tamila Khimich, Yuliya Shevchuk, Natiya Pantsulaya, Anna Petryk (all Metalist 1925 Kharkiv), Nicole Kozlova (Glasgow City, Scotland), Yana Malakhova (Mura Nona, Slovenia).

Forwards: Roksolana Kravchuk (Vorskla Poltava), Olha Ovdiychuk (Fomget, Turkey), Inna Hlushchenko (Lille, France).

The first match of the second round of the EURO 2025 playoffs between Ukraine and Belgium will take place on November 29 in Antalya, Turkey (kick-off at 19:00), with the second match scheduled for December 3 in Leuven, Belgium (kick-off at 21:15).

As a reminder, the top two teams from each League A group secured direct qualification for the EURO 2025 final tournament, which will be held from July 2 to 27 in Switzerland. These teams include Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain. The host team, Switzerland, has also qualified. The remaining seven spots will be contested in the second playoff round (home and away matches).

Second Round (November 27 - December 3)

In the second playoff round, 14 teams will compete directly for seven spots in the EURO 2025 final tournament, which will feature 16 teams in total.

Portugal vs. Czechia

Scotland vs. Finland

Ukraine vs. Belgium

Wales vs. Ireland

Poland vs. Austria

Northern Ireland vs. Norway

Serbia vs. Sweden

The draw for the final tournament will take place on December 16.