The National Team of Ukraine played in Kyiv!

At the Kyiv NTK named after V. Bannikov, a children's tournament and a show match with national team players took place.

The National Team of Ukraine played in Kyiv!

Photo: Dan Balashov

The festive tournament among children born in 2018–2019 was dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence. The competition took place in a 4+1 format with four teams participating.

The continuation of the sporting event was a show match, where young football players faced representatives of Ukraine's national team. The head coach Andrea Maldera, his assistant Taras Stepanenko, as well as players Eduard Sarapiy and Georgiy Yermakov played against 35 children. The match was intriguing: the young football players secured victory in the final minutes with a score of 2:1.

Players from the national team shared their impressions of the match:
 

Eduard Sarapiy:
It's great that children have the opportunity to play with national team players. I believe such matches should not only be held in Kyiv but also in other cities across Ukraine.

 

Georgiy Yermakov:
I think the most important thing is that our children are now engaged in sports, finding joy and that we all strive to be as close as possible to our shared goal and dream: for our children to grow up in safety, peace, and not see what's happening today.

According to the event summary, all participants received gifts from the Ukrainian Football Association, as well as autographs and group photos with representatives of the country's main team.