Viktor Mykita: "Football during war has become a form of rehabilitation for defenders and a foundation for community development."
EURO 2024 (U-19): Ukraine players share impressions following successful elite qualifying round
The Ukraine U-19 team secured a convincing victory in the final match of the Euro 2024 elite qualifying round, defeating Switzerland 3-0 to advance to the tournament's final stage.
Players from our team, Ramil Hadzhyev and Matviy Ponomarenko, commented on this success.
"From the beginning of the match, we tried to keep it simple and not overcomplicate things because a draw suited us. But despite that, we didn't sit back in defense; instead, we tried to impose our game on the Swiss. And towards the end of the match, it paid off - we scored three goals and won convincingly," said Ramil Hadzhyev.
"We're overwhelmed with emotions because we've achieved something incredible. I want to thank everyone who supported us, especially the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, thanks to whom we are here and can play football. Without you, this success wouldn't have been possible," added Matviy Ponomarenko.
As a reminder, the final stage of Euro 2024 (U-19) will take place from July 15 to 28, 2024, in Northern Ireland and will serve as UEFA's qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2025.
Euro 2024 (U-19). Elite qualifying round. Group 7
March 20, 2024
Switzerland - Latvia - 1:0
North Macedonia - Ukraine - 0:2
March 23, 2024
Switzerland - North Macedonia - 2:0
Ukraine - Latvia - 3:0
March 26, 2024
Ukraine - Switzerland - 3:0
Latvia - North Macedonia - 1:1
Standings
|
|
M |
W |
D |
L |
GD |
P |
|
1. Ukraine |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
8—0 |
9 |
|
2. Switzerland |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3—3 |
6 |
|
3. Latvia |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1—5 |
1 |
|
4. North Macedonia |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1—5 |
1 |
The draw for the final tournament will take place on April 17th in Belfast (starting at 17:00 Kyiv time). Besides Northern Ireland, the tournament will feature Ukraine, Italy (the reigning champion), France, Spain, Turkey, Norway, and Denmark. The hosts will occupy the A1 starting position, while the other teams will be divided into two groups. From each quartet, two top teams will advance to the semifinals, scheduled for July 28th at Windsor Park in Belfast, where they will compete for the main trophy.
There won't be a match for the third place, but there will be one for the fifth place since Europe will delegate exactly five representatives to the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will take place in Chile with the participation of 24 teams. Therefore, the winner of the match between the third-placed teams will join the other four semifinalists. Like the semifinals, it is scheduled for July 25th.
