The Ukrainian U-16 national team (players born in 2007 or later), which gathered for the first time in its history, participated in the UEFA Development Tournament held in Slovakia. The head coach of the blue and yellow team, Volodymyr Yezersky, provided an update on this training camp to the official website of the UAF.

"Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to the leadership of the UAF for giving us several days of training before the start of the UEFA Development Tournament. This was important because it was the first gathering of this team, unlike our opponents," said Volodymyr Ivanovich. "I believe we performed well at the tournament."

According to the match protocols, everyone listed in the squad played for no less than 90 minutes. In the first match, against Slovakia, we were leading but after substitutions our opponents caught up and then outperformed us in penalty kicks. In the second game, against Ireland (1:3), we also opened the scoring but towards the end we slightly faded. However, in the third match, against Latvia (4:0), our players grasped the coaching staff's ideas and secured a convincing victory.

To some extent, this was also a selection camp as the focus was on players who play abroad for various reasons. It was important to get acquainted with the boys and see their potential firsthand.

I am glad that we managed to participate in such a prestigious tournament and play against strong opponents. It was crucial to gather information about candidates for the team. Of course, it would be nice to hold another selection camp in Ukraine in August and then focus on preparation for the European Championship qualification round in September. Although we understand the current situation, we can only hope for better times.

UEFA Development Tournament among U-16 teams

May 10, 2023

Latvia — Ireland — 2:4

Slovakia — Ukraine — 1:1, on penalties — 3:1

May 12, 2023

Ireland — Ukraine — 3:1

Slovakia — Latvia — 0:0, on penalties — 8:9

May 15, 2023

Latvia — Ukraine — 0:4

Slovakia — Ireland — 1:2

Final Standings

It is worth noting that this Ukrainian team is preparing for the qualification round of Euro-2024 (U-17). From October 15 to 21, blue and yellow will face teams from Germany, Finland, and Liechtenstein (home country).

Qualification Group Composition for Euro-2024 (U-17)

Group 1: Denmark, Austria, Georgia, Lithuania.

Group 2: Sweden, Poland, Latvia, Moldova.

Group 3: Germany, Ukraine, Finland, Liechtenstein.

Group 4: Serbia, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan.

Group 5: Portugal, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Albania.

Group 6: France, Norway, Romania, Estonia.

Group 7: Turkey, Scotland, Belarus, Kazakhstan.

Group 8: Spain, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Malta.

Group 9: England, Croatia, Kosovo, Faroe Islands.

Group 10: Ireland, Switzerland, Iceland, Armenia.

Group 11: Italy, Greece, Northern Ireland, San Marino.

Group 12: Belgium, Israel, Wales, Gibraltar.

Group 13: Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Andorra.

Mini-tournaments at this stage will take place from July 1 to November 21, 2023. The winners of the first two places in each qualifying group and five best third-place finishers based on results against the top two teams will advance to the elite round.

It is worth noting that Cyprus received a direct entry into the final stage as hosts, while the Netherlands team will start from the elite round of qualification.