Euro 2024 (U-19): today, the Ukrainian youth national team starts with a match against Northern Ireland

Kyiv • UNN

July 15 2024, 06:25 PM • 22372 views

The Ukrainian youth national team (players born in 2005 and younger) will take part in the European Championship among players under 19 in Northern Ireland, the opening match against the hosts of which began on July 15 at 9:00 PM Kyiv time.

Euro 2024 (U-19): today, the Ukrainian youth national team starts with a match against Northern Ireland

Today, July 15, the final tournament of the European Championship among players under 19 years old begins in Northern Ireland. Among the eight participants is the Ukrainian youth national team (football players not older than 2005), reports UNN with reference to UAF.

The opening match of our team, against the hosts of the competition, will take place in the city of Larne at the Inver Park stadium. The game starts at 19:00 local time (21:00 Kyiv time). We remind you that Norway and Italy are also in our group. In the other quartet are Denmark, Turkey, France, and Spain.

"Our task is to get into the top four teams. We hope for this and will do everything possible to go as far as possible," said the head coach of our youth national team Dmytro Mykhailenko at a press conference on the eve. "I am sure that there will be pressure in the opening match, there will be fans in the stands. Regardless of which part of Great Britain the teams play in, they are wildly supported. There will be whistling and shouting, and we must be ready for this. Just as we must be ready for any external circumstances, for the wind, for the fact that the Northern Ireland players will be super motivated. We must respond with calmness when we have the ball, aggressiveness if necessary, press in every part of the field, and be confident in ourselves and our game. Every player feels the responsibility and importance of the opening match in tournaments like the European Championship."

We should add that two best teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. On July 28, the main trophy will be contested at Windsor Park in Belfast. A match for third place is not provided, but one for fifth place will take place, as Europe will delegate five representatives to the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will be held in Chile with 24 national teams participating. Thus, the winner of the match between the third-placed teams in the groups will join the four semifinalists.