Kovalchuk dreams of Belarus's Lazarus act

Having been ready for the "ground to swallow her up" after two glaring errors were punished by Switzerland on Belarus's UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship debut, goalkeeper Ekaterina Kovalchuk is eager for the hosts to give their all against Germany as they prepare to bow out.

Bad memory 
"Those mistakes were because I was flustered," Kovalchuk said, reflecting on her opening-day nightmare. "You can't go on the pitch with the mindset of avoiding mistakes because then you are sure to make them. But after those mistakes, especially in the second half, I started to feel better. The girls gave me a lot of support." The 18-year-old needed it; the uncomfortable memories of that first period as Switzerland raced into a 4-0 lead coming back to haunt her on her return to tournament headquarters in Minsk. "I felt awful," she admitted, forcing a smile. "I wanted to be alone, not to see anyone; to close my eyes and for the ground to swallow me up. But my team-mates didn't let me wallow and looking back I'm grateful to them."

Improved showing
Dmitri Shevchuk's side went on to lose 4-1 and though they suffered another three-goal defeat against France last time out it was, Les Bleuettes coach Jean-Michel Degrange pointed out, a much better performance – not least from Kovalchuk. "Of course I have weak points but on Thursday I made only one real mistake when I tried to help a defender – fortunately I wasn't punished," said the Belarus keeper. Indeed, she helped keep her side in the game until the closing stages when two goals in as many minutes from substitute Solène Barbance sealed a 3-0 triumph. That may not be enough, with Kovalchuk saying her side "really needed to draw to keep our hopes alive".

'Nothing to lose'
Belarus have only a theoretical chance to progress from Group A: they need to hope Switzerland beat France while they claim a five-goal victory against five-times champions Germany. "We have to stay realistic," said Kovalchuk. "We will give our all for the win, but five? That will not happen. Germany will be pretty motivated, especially after their big loss to Switzerland. That said, we have nothing to lose." Belarus's hopes of bowing out on a high have been hit by injury, with captain Yelena Zyuzkova (neck) and Ekaterina Miklashevich (knee) both ruled out as physical setbacks continue to plague the hosts. "Our lack of experience is obvious, but we have also had a lot of problems," Kovalchuk added. "Even before the tournament we lost key striker Anzhela Lapusta and attacking midfielder Tatyana Kiose, a real leader. We have had no luck." Perhaps that will come against Germany.