Ukraine Euro 2020 (2021): Everything you need to know about The Blue and Yellows 🇺🇦

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Once again, after qualifying among other teams for the European Championship, Ukraine will want to erase its poor performance of 2016. With 3 defeats in 3 matches, the “blue and yellow” only made it to the group stage. Finishing first in its group during Euro qualifications (in front of Portugal), could Ukraine aspire to a great performance in June-July 2021?

🔎 Euro 2020-2021: Ukraine under the microscope

Born after the USSR dissolution in 1991, the Ukrainian football team played its first official match on 22nd April 1992 against Hungary (1-3 defeat). After a slow start, the team didn’t experience the joys of playing in a final phase of an international competition until the 2006 World Cup.

It was in 2006 that the team reached its apotheosis with a qualification (its only one) for the World Cup in Germany and a run that ended in the quarter-finals against Italy (3-0 defeat).

As for the Euro, Ukraine organised and played in the 2012 edition for the first time in the team’s history. Unfortunately for them, after finishing third in their group, Ukraine exited at the group stage.

Ukraine Euro 2020

👥 The Ukrainian Team’s Lineup for the Euro 2020-2021

Ranked 24th in the latest rankings, Ukraine qualified for Euro 2020 by finishing first in their group with their generation of promising players who have gained experience.

Ukraine’s 26-man Squad

With 44 days to go until Euro 2020, coach and 2004 “Ballon d’Or” winner Andrei Shevchenko is expected to announce his squad for the tournament soon.

  • Goalkeepers: Georgiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kyiv), Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Anatolii Trubin (Shakhtar Donetsk)
  • Defenders: Oleksandr Karavaev (Dynamo Kyiv), Serhiy Kryvtsov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Mykola Matviyenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), Vitaliy Mykolenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Denys Popov (Dynamo Kyiv), Eduard Sobol (Club Brugge), Oleksandr Tymchyk (Dynamo Kyiv), Illia Zabarnyi (Dynamo Kyiv), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City)
  • Midfielders: Roman Bezus (Gent), Yevhen Makarenko (Kortrijk), Ruslan Malinovskyi (Atalanta), Marlos (Shakhtar Donetsk), Mykola Shaparenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Taras Stepanenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), Heorhii Sudakov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Serhiy Sydorchuk (Dynamo Kyiv), Viktor Tsygankov (Dynamo Kyiv)
  • Forwards: Artem Besedin (Dynamo Kyiv), Artem Dovbyk (Dnipro-1), Roman Yaremchuk (Gent), Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham), Oleksandr Zubkov (Ferencváros)

Andriy Shevchenko: The Legend Who Became a Coach

Top scorer in the Ukrainian national team’s history, mythical player of AC Milan, 2004 “Ballon d’Or”, the former striker Andriy Shevchenko needs no introduction. In 2016, he took charge of the national team, which he managed to qualify for Euro 2020. His new challenge? To put Ukraine’s name forward for the next World Cup, in which they have not participated since 2006.

For this, he can count on many talented young players such as Zinchenko (Manchester City), Malinovsky (Atalanta) or Tsygankov (Dynamo Kiev). His ideas for the game enabled him to snatch a draw against the French team last month, and his plan was to close down the French left flank, thus preventing Kylian Mbappé from getting any speed.

👕 Ukrainian Kits

The Ukrainian home and away jerseys are in the colours of the country’s flag: one is entirely yellow, the other blue.

🗓️ Ukraine’s Match Schedule (Group C)

Ukraine is in Group C at Euro 2020. They will face Austria, North Macedonia and the Netherlands.

Euro 2020: Ukraine’s Calendar

🏃 Ukraine’s Preparation for the Euro

To everyone’s surprise, Ukraine finished in first place in their Euro 2020 qualifying group without losing a single match. They outclassed Portugal and Serbia.

Euro 2020 Qualification Results

However, the Nations League was more difficult for the Yellow and Blue, who finished in last place in their group A4.

Nations League Results

  • 03.09.20 – Ukraine 2-  1 Switzerland
  • 06.09.20 – Spain 4 – 0 Ukraine
  • 10.10.20 – Ukraine 1 – 2 Germany
  • 13.10.20 – Ukraine 1 – 0 Spain
  • 14.11.20 – Germany 3 – 1 Ukraine
  • 17.11.20 – Switzerland 3 – 0 Ukraine

Six Matches Before the Euro

Having already played three matches for the 2022 World Cup qualification (three draws), Ukraine will have three more friendly matches to play to prepare for Euro 2020.

  • 24.03.21 – France 1 – 1 Ukraine
  • 28.03.21 – Ukraine 1 – 1 Finland
  • 31.03.21 – Ukraine 1 – 1 Kazakhstan
  • 23.05.21 – Ukraine – Bahrein
  • 03.06.21 – Ukraine – Northern Ireland
  • 07.06.21 – Ukraine – Cyprus

⭐ Star Player of the Euro 2020: Aleksander Zinchenko

Used to playing left-back with Pep Guardiola, the young Ukrainian is more of a left-sided player for his country. He has performed well in a series of matches, relegating Benjamin Mendy to the bench.

A midfielder by training, Guardiola takes advantage of all his qualities. Despite being a full-back, he moves into the middle of the pack when his team has possession, allowing City to attack with five men. A fan of his coach at club level, his wife even said that the player was constantly taking notes of his speeches and tactics.

He is also a player who does not hide his ambitions. He said he thought it was possible for City to win all the titles this season, as Bayern did last year and Barca has done in the past.

With the national team, he has more than 35 caps and has scored 5 goals.

👟 Player to follow of the Euro 2020: Andriy Pyatov

It is impossible to talk about the Ukrainian national team without mentioning its veteran goalkeeper, Andriy Pyatov. The 36-year-old goalkeeper is still with the national team and has played no less than 96 games for them. As captain, it seems that the Euro will be one of his last chances to lift a trophy with Ukraine.

He has also played over 500 games for his club, the vast majority of which were with Shaktar Donetsk, with whom he won 10 championships, 15 cups and a Europa League in 2009.

His best years are behind him, but he remains an important part of the squad and will certainly pass the torch to his Real Madrid namesake, Andriy Lunin.

📚 Ukraine’s Euro Statistics and History

Ukraine will participate in the third Euro finals in its history. Take a look at some figures.

Ukraine’s Statistics at the Euro

  • 5: The number of defeats Ukraine has suffered in three participations
  • 1: They have won only one match in the tournament
  • 2: In its history, it has scored only two goals

Ukrainian Players’ Individual Statistics at the Euro

  • 2: Shevchenko is Ukraine’s top scorer in the competition so far.
  • 6: Four players have played six games at the Euro, three of them will also participate in the next edition: Khacheridi, Konoplyanka, Pyatov, Yarmolenko
  • 37 years and 83 days: This is the age at which Anatoliy Tymoshchuk played a match at the Euro (against Poland in 2016), making him the oldest Ukrainian player in the competition

🥊 Ukraine’s Main Opponents at Euro 2020-2021

It is difficult to say where Ukraine will finish in this rather balanced group made up of North Macedonia, Austria and the Netherlands, the latter of which is still the favourite team.

North Macedonia

The least experienced team in the competition will be playing in their first international competition. Is this their chance to really play?

➡All about North Macedonia 🇲🇰 at Euro 2020-2021

Austria

This is the nation that seems best equipped to compete with Ukraine for a possible second place. So watch out!

➡All about Austria 🇦🇹 at Euro 2020-2021

Netherlands

They are the team that seems best equipped to win the group. However, Ukraine has the skill to cause trouble for the Dutch team.

➡ All about the Netherlands 🇳🇱 at Euro 2020-2021

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