In their third match at the 2025 World Cup in Chile, Ukraine's U-20 national team defeated Paraguay (2:1) and advanced to the round of 16 from first place in Group B.

After the match, players Maxim Melnychenko, Matviy Ponomarenko, and Vitaliy Katrich shared their emotions with the press service of the UAF.

Maxim Melnychenko (defender): "Of course, our emotions are extremely positive because we accomplished our task and came out of the group in first place. Naturally, we were curious about who we would play against next. We looked at it but there's still some uncertainty, so we need to wait. Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we will find out our opponent."

Regarding my new partner in the match with Paraguay (Vladyslav Kysil.— Note.), I think Vlad played very well for his debut. He acted confidently, and it was very comfortable to play with him.

It's nice that we felt support from our fans. They chanted "Ukraine, Ukraine!" as we went forward, which of course added positive emotions. At this moment, you wanted to do more and more for our country. 

The city and the stadium where we played also made a good impression on us. So we want to work harder and go further. With each match comes confidence in ourselves. We play against different opponents, very high-quality ones, but we see that we can beat them, and this inspires us. Any player can come out and strengthen the game. In this match, there was also a difficult moment at 1:1, and Ponomarenko's substitution helped greatly. He came on and scored. This is what an attacker should do.»

Matviy Ponomarenko (forward): "My personal motivation was incredible because it was my mother's birthday, and the next day — my girlfriend's. So there was a strong desire to score, win, and advance from the group. Scoring a goal is the best gift I could give myself. Here all teams are very strong, but we have an excellent team. We came here with the mindset of winning.

We have a strong coaching staff that gives us instructions on what to do and how to do it. He chose the right tactics for each game, studied and prepared us for every opponent. After matches, we analyzed them. That's why we're getting such results. I believe that every player went out with high motivation because this is a World Cup, an opportunity to show ourselves. And in our country, things are so difficult. We fought for the whole nation, for all of Ukraine. I want to thank everyone who defends our state and gives us the chance to be here.

Regarding coming on as a substitute, we discussed this with the coach beforehand. He told me to get ready. Once again, I emphasize that in this match, I was very motivated. I had an opportunity, and I took advantage of it — scored a goal and brought victory to our team.» 

Vitaliy Katrich (defender): "I am incredibly happy that I'm here and that the team won, and moreover — came out in first place. Everyone fought hard, tried their best, and I think we deserved it. It was my first time starting, but since all the guys are of the same age, I didn't feel inexperienced. Thank you to the coach for giving me a chance. I did my best and hope there will be more opportunities for me to show myself. 

After the match in the locker room, we had incredible emotions. Everyone was very happy, but we understand that this is not the end, just the beginning. So we are waiting to find out who our next opponent will be and preparing for the encounter with them.

The conditions in Valparaiso are great — a good hotel, a view from the window of the ocean, so I'm glad that we're returning to this city. I hope that our next opponent is Chile's national team because then there will be many fans at the match. In Ukraine, due to the war, it's lacking. During the match with Paraguay, we felt support from our supporters. We played for all of Ukraine, for our military. They protect us there, and we will protect our homeland here.»