Andriy Shevchenko's demand has already been met as Ukraine war remains key focus

12 June 2024 , 08:00

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Andriy Shevchenko became president of the Ukraine FA earlier this year.

When Andriy Shevchenko was elected president of the Ukraine FA in January, he outlined his fears that the western world was beginning to forget about the war with Russia.

That is why progressing from the play-offs in March carried such weight - it ensured the country will remain in the public eye. “It’s massive,” Shevchenko said at the time. “We have a very talented team, a very good manager.

“To qualify for the Euros will mean a lot to us. It’s the big international stage for us and for Ukraine to be there would bring back attention. If we do very well, it will remind the world about Ukraine and the war.

“It’s true, the world’s attention has dropped a lot. But sport is a good message. If our athletes can do well, if the national team performs well, if the Olympians do, we will bring the attention back to Ukraine.”

So there is a clear sense that the primary goal has already been met by the head coach Serhiy Rebrov and his players. But there is always an appetite for more.

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This is a decent squad, full of players who are young but know each other rather well, and (no matter how often it is mentioned) greatly motivated by the grim reality at home.

“”We dedicate [qualifying] to the heroic Ukrainian armed forces who are now defending the independence of our country,” Rebrov said in March, a theme that will be mentioned regularly throughout the campaign.

As the Arsenal man of versatility Oleksandr Zinchenko said: “We need to talk about it, shout about it every day. This is the only way we can win.”

And they should be confident of progressing from a relatively soft group that looks much easier on paper than the qualifying pool that featured England and Italy.

Beyond Zinchenko, the Premier League is represented by Everton full back Vitaliy Mykolenko, young Bournemouth centre back Illia Zabarnyi and Chelsea ’s Mykhailo Mudryk.

The latter showed some signs of promise during another chaotic season at Stamford Bridge but is yet to produce consistently in England.

For Ukraine, however, he has been a vital cog in a team heavily reliant upon counterattacking.

Mykhailo Mudryk is a key player for a team reliant on counterattacks.

Rebrov sets his team up in a 4-1-4-1 that can sometimes change to 3-5-2 and the other two notables names are Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who has risen to prominence at the Bernabeu because of Thibaut Courtois’ injury, and the Girona striker Artem Dovbyk.

He won La Liga ’s golden boot with 24 goals as the division’s surprise package finished third. That has won him plenty of admirers across Europe and a big tournament here could see the 26-year-old rise to even greater prominence.

He turns 27 on the day of their game against Slovakia - a match in which they probably need a result to progress since heavy group favourites Belgium are their final opponents.

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From there it will be bonus territory for a side that will be given second favourite team status by most of the continent.

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Alan Smith