Dmytro Mykhailenko: "We have come a long way, and we need to look forward with our heads held high"

Head coach of Ukraine's U-20 national team, Dmitro Mykhaylenko, commented on his team's match against Spain in the 2025 World Cup round of 16 (0:1), after which blue-and-yellow ended their tournament participation. "The situation with Synchuk disrupted our plans; it became clear just a few hours before the game.

Dmytro Mykhailenko: "We have come a long way, and we need to look forward with our heads held high"

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

The head coach of Ukraine's U-20 national team, Dmitro Mykhaylenko, commented on his team's match in the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Cup against Spain (0:1), after which the blue and yellow team ended their tournament run.

"The situation with Synchuk disrupted our plans; it became clear just a couple of hours before kickoff. This threw us off balance...

As for the match against Spain, emotions have now subsided, but during the game we believed until the very end that we would equalize and advance further. There were opportunities, there was pressure, and in the last 15 minutes, it was more due to drive and adrenaline.

The second half was quite commendable; Spain had a hard time. We've come a long way, and it's unfortunate that we encountered such a strong team in the knockout stage—the European champions. Nevertheless, we need to look forward with our heads held high," — quotes Dmitro Mykhaylenko, the official 2025 World Cup (U-20) broadcaster "Sobytie Sport."

Ukraine's Path to the 2025 World Cup (U-20)

September 27, 2025. South Korea — Ukraine — 1:2

September 30, 2025. Panama — Ukraine — 1:1

October 3, 2025. Ukraine — Paraguay — 2:1

October 7, 2025. Ukraine — Spain — 0:1