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Ukraine team guide

Champions on home soil in 2009, Ukraine have not graced the finals since but remained unbeaten in their six qualifying fixtures including a decisive defeat of England.

Ukraine's U19's
Ukraine's U19's ©FFU

Absent from the finals since winning the 2009 competition as hosts, Ukraine have reached this tournament unbeaten. They were second to Russia on goal difference in the qualifying round, with both sides picking up seven points, and the same total was enough to take them through to Hungary as elite round Group 1 winners.

Eduard Sobol's added-time strike condemned hosts England to a 1-0 defeat in the decisive game, Oleksandr Petrakov's team completing the section with a third successive clean sheet. "I will remember the day we got to the finals for the rest of my life," gushed the coach. "Happy is not a big enough word to describe my emotions."

A repeat of their 2009 success would spark greater celebrations still for a nation who were losing finalists at Under-18 level in 2000. A 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup berth – available to the semi-finalists as well as to two third-placed sides in the groups – is also an important objective.

Qualifying round: Estonia 3-1, Malta 4-0, Russia 1-1 (Group 13 runners-up)

Elite round: Scotland 0-0, Montenegro 4-0, England 1-0 (Group 1 winners)

Key players: Roman Pidkivka (goalkeeper, FC Karpaty Lviv), Eduard Sobol (defender, FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Ihor Kharatin (midfielder, FC Dynamo Kyiv), Artem Radchenko (forward, FC Metalist Kharkiv).

Coach: Oleksandr Petrakov
Date of birth: 6 August 1957

Petrakov went straight into coaching after hanging up his boots in 1990, spending a decade in charge of various second-tier clubs before taking up posts with the FC Dynamo Kyiv and then RVUFK Kyiv youth academies. In 2010, he accepted an offer from the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) to found a national U15 team, later moving up the youth ranks with the same side.

Team records

Qualifying top scorers
Artem Radchenko: 4

UEFA European Under-19 Championship best
Winners: 2009

Honours in UEFA youth competitions
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winners: 2009
UEFA European Under-18 Championship

Runners-up: 2000