Viktor Mykita: "Football during war has become a form of rehabilitation for defenders and a foundation for community development."
EURO 2024 (U-19): Ukraine begins final stage with a draw against the hosts
Today, the Ukraine team began their campaign in the final tournament of the European Championship for players under 19 years old (born no later than 2005).
In their first match in Group A at EURO 2024 (U-19), Dmytro Mykhailenko's side faced the host team, Northern Ireland. The game took place at Inver Park Stadium in Larne.
The first half was dominated by the Blue and Yellows, who controlled possession and made three shots on target. However, attempts by Ramik Hadzhyiev, Dmytro Bohdanov, and Andriy Matkevych were thwarted by the host's goalkeeper, Pierce Charles.
Photo by Dan Balashov
However, the Irish side had the best chance to open the scoring. In the second minute of added time in the first half, Brayden Graham broke through one-on-one with our goalkeeper but failed to beat Vladyslav Krapyvtsov.
The second half followed a similar pattern. The Ukrainians controlled the ball and made several good attempts on goal. However, they managed to create a perilous moment only once. In the 73rd minute, Hennadiy Synchuk received a brilliant pass in the opponent's penalty area and seemed to have an unstoppable shot into the far corner. Yet the host's goalkeeper miraculously reacted and deflected the ball for a corner.
In the final minutes of the match, Dmytro Mykhailenko made a triple substitution, but it did not help our team secure a victory — 0:0.
Photo by Dan Balashov
The next match for the Ukrainian team at EURO 2024 (U-19) will be on July 18 in Belfast against Norway.
EURO 2024 (U-19). Group Stage. Group A
Northern Ireland — Ukraine — 0:0
Northern Ireland: Charles, Briggs, McCallion (Goodman, 46), Lennon (c), Barr, Trickett (D. Doherty, 64), McClure, Thompson (Hamilton, 90+2), Morrison (A. Doherty, 76), Graham (Evans, 64), Glenfield.
Ukraine: Krapyvtsov, Oharkov (Drozd, 87), Mykhavko, Melnychenko (c), Husiev, Vashchenko (Obinaiya, 87), Matkevych (Shevchenko, 87), Tsukanov, Hadzhyiev, Synchuk, Bohdanov (Tutierov, 73).
Booked: McCallion (33), Trickett (60), McClure (61).
Referee: Luka Bilbija (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Italy — Norway — 2:1
Standings
| Team | M | W | D | G | GD | P | |
| 1 | Italy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2—1 | 3 |
| 2 | Northern Ireland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0—0 | 1 |
| 3 | Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0—0 | 1 |
| 4 | Norway | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1—2 | 0 |
EURO 2024 (U-19)
Group A: Northern Ireland, Norway, Italy, Ukraine.
18.07.2024
Norway vs. Ukraine (17:30, Belfast)
Northern Ireland vs. Italy (21:00, Larne)
21.07.2024
Norway vs. Northern Ireland (21:00, Belfast)
Ukraine vs. Italy (21:00, Larne)
Group B: Denmark, Turkey, France, Spain.
July 16, 2024
Denmark vs. Spain (17:30, Larne)
France vs. Turkey (21:00, Belfast)
July 19, 2024
Denmark vs. France (17:30, Larne)
Turkey vs. Spain (21:00, Belfast)
July 22, 2024
Turkey vs. Denmark (21:00, Belfast)
Spain vs. France (21:00, Larne)
July 25, 2024
Playoff Match for World Cup 2025 (U-20)
A3 vs. B3 (18:30, Belfast)
Semifinals
A1 vs. B2 (16:00, Belfast)
B1 vs. A2 (21:00, Belfast)
July 28, 2024
Final
Winner 1 vs. Winner 2 (21:00, Belfast)
Match times are in Kyiv time.
