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Published By: Sports Desk
Last Updated: March 28, 2024, 03:00 IST
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Ukrainians have expressed pride and gratitude towards their men’s national football team for qualifying for the European Championship, a rare bit of good news and a welcome distraction from the war against Russia.
KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainians have expressed pride and gratitude towards their men’s national football team for qualifying for the European Championship, a rare bit of good news and a welcome distraction from the war against Russia.
Although celebrations after Ukraine’s 2-1 win over Iceland were muted as Russian missiles continued to rain down on the country, the team’s success gives the Ukrainians something to cheer about this summer when the tournament will start in Germany.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Tuesday night’s victory in the decisive playoff stirred emotions throughout the country and proved that “whenever Ukrainians face difficulties but do not give up and continue to fight, Ukrainians are certainly win.”
Mykhailo Mudryk scored the winning goal as Ukraine came back from a goal down to beat Iceland in Poland. The team had to play its qualifiers outside Ukraine because of the war.
Young players at Sporting Kyiv’s soccer academy in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday said they were inspired.
“(It) shows that war does not stop us from following sports, and we can qualify for and compete in the European Championship,” said 12-year-old Hlib Kochetov.
Artem Mykhailenko, 15, said that seeing Ukraine compete in Euro 2024 will be a moment of pride for the entire nation.
“We need to show what we are really worth, who we are, and that we are Ukraine, that Ukraine is a great country, united and strong in many ways,” he said.
Trying to live as normal a life as possible has become a way for Ukrainians to show defiance amid Russian missile strikes and drone attacks.
Keeping youth active in sports and other activities is also a way to keep their minds off a war that has deeply traumatized families across the country, said Anatolii Kartashov, a coach at Sporting Kyiv.
“They have dreams, they set themselves goals. Many of them want to become professional footballers, so this is a very positive event,” said 36-year-old Kartashov.
Ukraine will face Belgium, Slovakia and Romania in the group stage of the Euro 2024 tournament. First up in Romania on June 17 in Munich.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)
