"Open Football Festivals" were held in Nevytske in Zakarpattia
Oleksandr Sytnyk: "Since the beginning of the year, we will be recording the core team for official matches"
The Ukrainian U-18 national team (players born in 2008 or later) has returned from a training camp in Croatia.
Photo by the press service of the UAF
The Ukrainian U-18 football team (players born in 2008 or later) has returned from a training camp in Croatia. There, the blue-and-yellow team participated in an international tournament hosted by the home country along with teams from Sweden and Wales.
The official website of the Ukrainian Football Association was briefed on this training session by the head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Oleksandr Sitnik.
— Mr. Oleksandr, what came out as expected and what didn't at the recent camp in Croatia?
— This training session, like the previous one, was somewhat of a selection process. We invited six new players whom we had been following for some time to see them perform on an international level.
— Is this related to the team's not-so-great performance in the tournament?
— We lacked cohesion, but our goal was not just to win by a nose. We wanted to give everyone an opportunity to showcase themselves. Ivan Andreyko, who missed much of his time due to injury, is still not in top form, but we couldn't deny him playing time because we know his potential.
Overall, the coaching staff received information not only about the players' game qualities, which we were already aware of. It was important for us to see how the boys approach the process, how they receive and respond to feedback, and their readiness for competition.
— Did the matches against Croatia, Wales, and Sweden reveal our weaknesses?
— Of course. We were satisfied with these matches. The tournament lineup was strong. Sweden turned out to be a balanced team, Wales looked good, although their first match didn't go well for them. And Croatian youth teams are always of high quality.
Again, we received enough information about our team. I can say that not all of our players showed the attitude towards work that the coaching staff wanted to see. We will analyze this situation so as not to repeat the mistakes from the previous camp and move on to a higher level of responsibility.
— When is the next training session planned for this team?
— If nothing changes, in February we will play two friendly matches against Italy's national team. And we will start forming the core of the team for official matches that will begin in autumn next year.
October 8, 2025. Ukraine — Croatia — 0:2
October 8, 2025. Sweden — Wales — 3:1
October 11, 2025. Croatia — Sweden — 3:0
October 11, 2025. Ukraine — Wales — 1:0
October 14, 2025. Croatia — Wales — 1:0
October 14, 2025. Ukraine — Sweden — 0:2
Final standings
|
|
Team |
G |
W |
D |
L |
Pts |
GF-GA |
|
1 |
Croatia |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
6-0 |
9 |
|
2 |
Sweden |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
5-4 |
6 |
|
3 |
Ukraine |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1-4 |
3 |
|
4 |
Wales |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1-5 |
0 |
Squad of the Ukrainian U-18 team
Goalkeepers: Rostyslav Baglay («Shakhtar» Donetsk), Yegor Klimenko («Rukh» Lviv), Yegor Krapyvin («Espanyol», Spain).
Defenders: Yegor Kostyuk, Nikita Kaluzhnyi, Yaroslav Milokost (all — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Volodymyr Yasynskyi («Rukh» Lviv), Yegor Shershut, Artur Muradyan («Borussia» M, Germany), Mykita Melnyk («Napoli», Italy), Timofei Bugay («Ferencvaros», Hungary).
Midfielders: Artur Zubryi, Oleksandr Sereda, Artur Derikon (all — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Pavlo Lysin, Arseniy Fedorenko (both — «Dynamo» Kyiv), Mukhammed Dzhurabaev («Rukh» Lviv), Illia Kutya («Hajduk», Croatia), Anton Martyniuk (PSV, Netherlands).
Forwards: Ivan Andreyko («Dynamo» Kyiv), Dmytro Zudin («Hajduk», Croatia), Illia Menshikov («Austria», Austria).
