Will Rotan’s team be able to jump over their heads?

Before the last round, the Ukrainians and Spaniards qualified for the playoffs ahead of schedule, scoring six points each and putting them out of reach of their peers from Croatia and Romania. However, the Iberians had a better goal difference. Therefore, the Ukrainians had to do a little bit more than win against the favorite to get out of first place. Ruslan Rotan was very surprised by the starting lineup. Compared to the previous match, the youth coach replace nine players, leaving only Vivcharenko and Kryskiv. Most likely, Rotan decided to save the main team players for the playoffs.

The team also surprised with their performance. Ukraine looked aggressive in the center of the field, attacked positively and, most unexpectedly, had more possession. However, there were some gross mistakes in defense, particularly in the first half, when the Ukrainian youth team created danger at their own goal at least three times. And the fly in the ointment was, of course, the missed goal in the last minutes. The result was 2:2, and the Ukrainians had to give up a comfortable first place.

How can you evaluate the game against the tournament favourite? Some might say that it was not the main squad of the Spanish team that played against the Ukrainian national team. However, even the bench of such a team consists of players who play in La Liga. For example, Ojan Sanset, who is the main player of Bilbao’s Athletic, is worth mentioning. Another thing is that the Spaniards were expected to play structured football totally controlling the ball, with a touch of bright individual actions by certain performers. But the Ukrainians managed to impose their game in the middle of the field and did not allow the opponent to accelerate. This gives us hope that Ruslan Rotan will be able to do the same in the playoffs against a strong opponent.

Who did the Ukrainians knock out of the tournament? Before the start of the European Championship, the second place in the group was predicted for the Croatian national team, a quarterfinalist in Euro 2021. It is a fairly even lineup, diluted with talents like Martin Baturin from Dinamo Zagreb and Roko Šimić, who belongs to Salzburg from Austria. Experts also expected surprises from the Romanians, a semifinalist in Euro 2019. At the very least, they should have been helped by the home-field factor and a number of players from the national team. In other words, the Ukrainians had no passable opponents.

I should note that this is the third participation of our youth team in the European Championship. The two previous continental tournaments were radically different from each other. In 2006, the Ukrainian team became the main sensation of the tournament, reached the final and won silver. Whereas in 2011, the performance was a failure: one point, one goal, and the Ukrainian national team finished the tournament with the worst result of all teams. Will Ruslan Rotan’s team be able to join the list of triumphant performances? In terms of the selection of performers, the Ukrainian youth group looks quite representative. However, even during this tournament, the national team staff, for objective reasons, has not been able to put them together in one mechanism

Mykhailo Mudryk, who has just been put back on his feet by doctors, has not played a single minute at the Euros. Due to the disqualification of Vladyslav Vanata, Rotan has problems with his strikers. Earlier, Oleksiy Sych and Maksym Taloverovwere injured. In the quarterfinals, every little thing will play an important role, and there will definitely be no easy ride. Rotan’s men will play the winner of Group D. So far, the quartet is led by France, but Italy and Switzerland are also in the running for this spot. The opponent will be determined today.