Ukraine
Friday, March 1, 2013
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Back at the finals for the first time since 2007, Olexandr Holovko's team will be full of confidence after knocking out Germany in the elite round despite being down to ten men.
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With perhaps the most remarkable story of the elite round, Ukraine overcame a free-scoring Germany side playing on their own soil in their final game. Despite going down to ten men in the first period, Ukraine scored with three minutes remaining to clinch a finals place by a solitary point.
Having a strong FC Shakhtar Donetsk core to the squad, which has been together since August 2011, it was Andriy Boryachuk who stood out for Olexandr Holovko's team during qualifying, with his hat-trick against Estonia and late winner against the Germans making him the side’s star performer. Making a first finals appearance since 2007, the country will be hoping to make the last four.
Qualifying round: Georgia 3-1, Scotland 0-0, Luxembourg 6-0 (Group 13 winners)
Elite round: Estonia 5-1, Bulgaria 0-0, Germany 1-0 (Group 4 winners)
Key players
Vadym Soldatenko (goalkeeper, FC Dynamo Kyiv), Pavlo Lukyanchuk (defender, FC Dynamo Kyiv), Viktor Kovalenko (midfielder, FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Denys Arendaruk (midfielder, FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Andriy Boryachuk (forward, FC Shakhtar Donetsk)
Coach: Olexandr Holovko
Date of Birth: 6 January 1972
Nationality: Ukrainian
Playing career: FC Tavriya Simferopol, FC Dynamo Kyiv
Coaching career: Ukraine U19/U17
Making his name in the Ukrainian top flight with FC Tavriya Simferopol and winning a first Ukrainian Championship in the spring of 1992 he went on to play 319 times in the top-flight, putting him 15th on the all-time list. A Ukrainian international regular from 1995, he moved to FC Dynamo Kyiv, making a UEFA Champions League semi-final with the club in 1999.
Beginning a coaching career after retiring in 2006 he assisted Yuriy Kalitvintsev with the national Under-19 side, helping them to the UEFA European title on home soil in 2009, before taking over the U17s.
Team records
Qualifying top scorer
Andriy Boryachuk: 5
UEFA European Under-17 Championship best
Group stage: 2002, 2004, 2007
Honours in UEFA youth competitions
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winners: 2009
UEFA European Under-18 Championship
Runners-up: 2000