Last supper leaves bittersweet taste

It wasn't meant to end like this. But Ukraine's fantastic journey to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final finished with four players sharing a quiet meal at a top Porto hotel while the rest of Olexiy Mykhaylychenko's squad headed for home.

Surprise appearance
Supporters walking back from the match might have been surprised to see the Ukraine team bus make a detour to drop off the quartet at the hotel near the Boavista FC stadium where tonight's game took place. Heads were turned too when the four athletes, in blue-and-yellow shirts and shorts, stopped in the hotel dining room to refuel following the rigours of their 3-0 defeat by the Netherlands. But then, Mykhaylychenko's men have excelled at raising eyebrows during their U21 finals debut.

Big impact
From their curtain-raising success against last night's nemesis, the Dutch, to winning their group with a pulsating victory against Denmark, via an arguably undeserved last-gasp defeat by holders Italy, Ukraine have left a deep impression. Neutrals joined the vocal supporters from the Ukrainian expatriate community – the majority in a 22,146 crowd at the Estádio do Bessa Século XXI – in applauding Mykhaylychenko's side during a valedictory lap of honour.

'No understand'
While the coach faced the media, the squad walked quietly through a corridor reserved for player interviews, populated almost entirely by Dutch reporters, and towards their bus. Team manager Vladimir Chorno-Ivanov – whose sideline as Mykhaylychenko's translator here in Portugal has added colour to press conferences – commented on his side's bad luck. The only other word on the performance came from midfielder Olexandr Aliyev, who made the mistake of responding to hearing his name called by one journalist: "No understand." Which was comprehensible given the litany of chances missed by his colleagues on a night when the breaks went against them.

Happy memories
So it was left to four of Mykhaylychenko's star men – goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov, central defenders Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Olexandr Yatsenko, and prodigious forward Artem Milevskiy – to pick over the defeat while ruminating on their food. They fly from Portugal tomorrow to join the senior Ukraine squad for the FIFA World Cup. Along with their team-mates, they leave behind a lot of happy memories.