Under-21 Group D: Netherlands vs Ukraine facts

There is a repeat of the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final on Matchday 3 as Netherlands – who claimed their first title at the expense of their opponents 19 years ago – and Ukraine bring down the curtain on their Group D campaigns at the Tatran Arena in Prešov.

The pair are vying to join Denmark in the quarter-finals; the Danes have six points with Ukraine on three and Netherlands and Finland both on one.

Having fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Finland on Matchday 1, Netherlands let slip a lead of their own in their second fixture to lose 1-2 to Denmark. Ukraine, meanwhile, conceded twice in the final ten minutes to lose 2-3 to Denmark in their first fixture but bounced back by beating Finland 2-0.

Previous European U21 Championship meetings

Matches 6
Netherlands wins 3
Ukraine wins 2
Draws 1
Netherlands goals 11
Ukraine goals 6

Netherlands took four points off Ukraine in the 2019 qualifying competition, Justin Kluivert's second-half equaliser rescuing a 1-1 away draw after Viktor Kovalenko had given Ukraine the lead in the first half from the penalty spot. Kluivert opened the scoring in the return fixture, Richairo Živković adding two more goals in a 3-0 home win, although neither side made it to the final tournament as England finished ahead of both in the standings.

Ukraine had reached the 2011 finals at Netherlands' expense via an away-goals victory in a remarkable play-off. Serhiy Kryvtsov struck twice inside the first seven minutes of the first leg in Rotterdam, Yevhen Konoplyanka adding a third from the spot 17 minutes from time before Luuk de Jong reduced the deficit. The Dutch, however, so nearly mounted a famous comeback in Kyiv thanks to goals from Bas Dost (45) and John Goossens (57) but were unable to find what would have been a clinching third goal.

The teams' first competitive fixtures came at the 2006 finals in Portugal. Ukraine were 2-1 winners in their first-ever finals match in Agueda on Matchday 1 thanks to goals from Artem Milevskiy (39pen) and Ruslan Fomin (51), Gijs Luirink scoring an added-time consolation for Netherlands.

Both progressed to the final, at the Estádio do Bessa XXI in Porto on 4 June, and this time it was Netherlands who emerged triumphant thanks to two first-half goals from Klaas Jan Huntelaar (11, 43pen) and, after Oleksandr Romanchuk's 77th-minute dismissal, Nicky Hofs (90+3) to claim their first U21 title.

Ukraine came from a goal down to beat Netherlands 2-1 in the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship elite round, Ernest Poku opening the scoring and Eduard Kozik levelling after Netherlands goalkeeper Robin Roefs had been dismissed.

Form guide

Netherlands

Netherlands have reached the final tournament for the eighth time, although only the fourth since claiming back-to-back titles in 2006 and, as hosts, 2007.

In 2023 a team coached by Erwin van de Looi drew all three games to finish third in Group A behind co-hosts Georgia and Portugal.

That was only the second final tournament in which Netherlands had failed to progress from the group stage and the first since 2000.

Now coached by Michael Reiziger, Netherlands were the first side to qualify for the 2025 finals and finished with the only 100% record, their 30 points leaving them 11 points above Group C runners-up Georgia.

Reiziger's side conceded only three goals, less than any other side.

Noah Ohio was the Jong Oranje's top scorer in qualifying with seven goals.

The Matchday 2 loss to Denmark ended Netherlands' 24-match unbeaten run in U21 EURO qualifying and final tournament matches (W18 D6), since losing 1-2 against Germany in the 2021 semi-finals.

Ukraine

Ukraine are making successive finals appearances for the first time.

A team coached by Ruslan Rotan reached the semi-finals at the 2023 tournament, finishing Group B runners-up behind Spain – the teams level on seven points – before beating France 3-1 in the quarter-finals only to lose 5-1 against Spain in the last four.

That was Ukraine's first finals appearance since 2011. Five years earlier they had reached the final on debut, winning their group and beating Serbia and Montenegro 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw in the semi-finals before a 3-0 defeat in the final against a Netherlands side Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko's team had beaten 2-1 on Matchday 1.

With Spaniard Unai Melgosa having replaced Rotan as head coach, Ukraine were second behind holders England in qualifying Group F for these finals, picking up 24 points after winning eight of their ten games (L2).

Nazar Voloshyn was Ukraine's top scorer in qualifying on four goals.

Ukraine have scored twice in four of their last five group games.

Links and trivia

Ryan Flamingo played the full match as PSV Eindhoven pulled off an incredible comeback from two goals down to beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-2 on Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. His blocked shot led to the winning goal in the 95th minute.