Dmitro Mikhaylenko: "I am very happy that we were able to start with a victory. This is what we dreamed of."

After the victorious opening match of the 2025 World Cup (U-20) against South Korea (2:1), head coach of Ukraine's youth team Dmitro Mykhaylenko did not hide his positive emotions: —I am very happy that we were able to start with a win.

Dmitro Mikhaylenko: "I am very happy that we were able to start with a victory. This is what we dreamed of."

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

After the victorious opening match of the 2025 World Cup (U-20) against South Korea (2:1), head coach of Ukraine's youth team, Dmitro Mykhaylenko, did not hide his positive emotions:

— I am very happy that we managed to start with a win. This is what we dreamed of. Overall, the game was nerve-wracking and difficult. The first half was ours, then the Koreans increased their intensity, and after 60 minutes, we lacked speed, making it hard for us to create opportunities, so we had to play more behind the goalkeeper. Our opponent caused us a lot of trouble at the end of the match due to pressure and set pieces.

But I liked that all the boys were very charged up, they tried to endure, gave their best 100%. In such tournaments, results come first, the quality of play is forgotten, and everyone will remember the score.

Of course, we need to analyze the game, recover, and move forward, preparing for the next matches.

30.09.2025. Panama — Ukraine (23:00) 

03.10.2025. Ukraine — Paraguay (23:00) 

The top two teams from each group and four of the six third-placed teams will advance to the knockout stage. The tournament will proceed according to the usual format.

Group V standings

   Team M W D L GD Pts
1 Paraguay   1 1 0 0 3—2 3
2 Ukraine  1 1 0 0 2—1 3
3 Panama  1 0 0 1 2—3 0
4 South Korea 1 0 0 1 1—2 0