EURO 2012 Focus - Ukraine
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As the EURO 2012 approaches, Extratime.ie will take an indepth look into each participating team. Niall Mooney looks at the EURO 2012 Group D side Ukraine.
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Where they are staying, where they are playing
Three interesting facts about the team
The Ukraine have announced their squad for EURO 2012
Goalkeepers: Oleksandr Goryainov (FC Metalist Kharkiv), Maxym Koval (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Andriy Pyatov (FC Shakhtar Donetsk).
Defenders: Bohdan Butko (FC Illychivets Mariupil), Olexandr Kucher (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Taras Mikhalik (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Yaroslav Rakitskiy (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Yevhen Selin (FC Vorskla Poltava), Yevhen Khacheridi (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Vyacheslav Shevchuk (FC Shakhtar Donetsk).
Midfielders: Olexandr Aliyev (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Denys Garmash (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Oleh Gusev (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Yevhen Konoplyanka (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Serhiy Nazarenko (SC Tavriya Simferopol), Ruslan Rotan (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (FC Bayern München), Andriy Yarmolenko (FC Dynamo Kyiv).
Forwards: Andriy Voronin (FC Dinamo Moskva), Marko Devi? (FC Metalist Kharkiv), Artem Milevskiy (FC Dynamo Kyiv), Yevhen Seleznyov (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Andriy Shevchenko (FC Dynamo Kyiv).
As one of the host nations the Ukraine automatically qualified for Euro 2012 along with co-hosts Poland and will be competing at their first ever European Championship Finals. Oleh Blokhin’s re-appointment as national team manager in April 2011 has brought an air of optimism despite some inconsistent form over the past 12 months.
Blokhin will aim to repeat the success of a run to the quarter finals at the 2006 World Cup in Germany despite being drawn in a group which includes England, France and Sweden.
Andriy Shevchenko will once again be the dangerman for the Ukraine as they will look to his experience and guile in front of goal despite entering the latter stages of his career. Shevchenko has scored 46 goals in 104 appearances for the national side.
Shevchenko now represents Dynamo Kyiv at club level having made his name at Italian giants AC Milan before an unsuccessful spell in west London at Chelsea FC.
Bayern Munich’s Anatoily Tymoshchuk is another player to watch out for, the midfielder will join up with the squad after he represents Munich in this year's Champions League Final.
Where they are playing, where they are staying
The Dynamo Kyiv Training Centre in Kyiv will provide Blokhin’s troops base, with at least eight Dynamo Kyiv players expected to make the predominantly home based squad for the Championships, the players will benefit from one’s usual surroundings.
The hosts opening fixture is against Sweden on June 11 at the Olympic Stadium, Kyiv before facing France and England at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk on June 15th and 19th.
Three interesting facts about the team
- Just two players that ply their trade outside the Ukranian Premier League are expected to be included in Oleh Blokhin’s final 23 man squad, more home based players than any other competing nation at Euro 2012.
- Andriy Shevchenko’s nickname “Sheva” means seven in Hebrew, the number worn by Shevchenko during spells at AC Milan, Chelsea and current club Dynamo Kyiv. Shevchenko has scored 46 goals in 104 appearances for the national side.
- Manager Oleh Blokhin won the prestigious Ballon D’or award in 1975 after a string of fine performances for the USSR which included a goal against the Republic of Ireland in Kyiv in a Euro 1976 qualifier.
Recent form has been impressive as the Ukrainians have beaten Bulgaria (3-0), Estonia (2-0), Austria (2-1) and Israel (3-2) in four of their last five games. The other game was an exciting 3-3 draw with one of the pre tournament favourites Germany in front of a crowd of almost 70,000 in Kyiv.
