The training camp of the Ukraine youth national team has ended, during which the blue-and-yellow team played two friendlies — against Denmark (3:2) and Italy (1:3). The official website of the Ukrainian Football Association spoke with one of the key players of Ukraine's "youth" team, defender Maxim Talovoyev of Austrian LASK.

— Maxim, after returning from the youth national team, your LASK didn't lose to Austria in an away match. Is this a normal result?

— LASK aims to win every game. The match against Austria was no exception. We were better throughout the game and had more goal-scoring opportunities, but it turned out that we lost — 0:2. So you could say that despite losing, we managed to put up a good fight.

— What is LASK's objective for this season?

— The main goal is to win the Austrian Cup. Next Thursday in the semi-final of the tournament, we will play against FK Austria Wien, whom I hope we can also face in the league to qualify for the Champions League qualifiers. It's hard to catch up with Salzburg because this team looks stronger than its competitors right now. But it would be good if we could win the cup and finish among the top three in the league.

— What do you think about the youth national team training camp?

— It was interesting and, importantly, beneficial. We were happy to meet our teammates because we hadn't seen each other in a long time. Ukraine faced serious opponents. In these friendlies, we gained valuable experience. Against Italy, I think we looked decent, although the game showed that there's still room for improvement and better football. At times, we didn't look worse than the Italians, so in my opinion, when Ukraine adds to its team play and individual skills, it can beat teams like Italy, which I consider one of the main favorites for the upcoming European Championship.

In the match against Denmark, our national team showed character by winning at the last minute, this is also a kind of experience that will certainly be useful to Ukraine's national team in Euro.

When you come to the national team, there isn't much time to introduce something new, so we talked about our style and what the coach demands. The team worked with full commitment. The camp went well.

— Do you think that in June, when Euro starts, football players of Ukraine's national team will be in optimal condition?

— A tough season is behind everyone participating in Euro. So there won't be any advantage for anyone in this regard. Everything depends on us. I don't doubt that we'll give our maximum effort and do everything possible to achieve positive results in every match. We want to make our compatriots happy during such a difficult time.

We remind you that this year the Ukraine youth national team will participate in the final tournament of Euro-2023 (U-21). In total, 16 teams will take part in the forum taking place from June 21 to July 8 in Georgia and Romania. According to the draw results held on October 18 last year in Bucharest, blue-and-yellow ended up in Group B, where they will face Romania, Spain, and Croatia. The three best teams of Euro-2023 (excluding France and England) will receive tickets to the 2024 Olympics.