WROCLAW, Poland (Reuters) – Ukraine’s qualification for Euro 2024 football in Germany sounds like a breather for a country that has suffered from the war against Russia for more than two years.
The Ukrainians won a fourth consecutive participation in the European Championship – from June 14 to July 14 – by beating Iceland in the play-offs (2-1) on Tuesday in Wroclaw (Poland).
Zbirna – the nickname of the selection – will be part of Group E with Belgium, Slovakia and Romania, whom it will face in its first match in Munich on June 17.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has entered its third year and shows no signs of ending despite heavy losses on both sides since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
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“I am very proud to be Ukrainian, to be of the same blood as those who today give their lives for our freedom,” team captain Oleksandr Zinchenko said after the victory.
“We have to talk about it, shout it every day. It’s the only way to win. It was one of our most emotional matches.”
“It’s an incredible feeling. I’m very happy because it’s another dream come true. A big thank you to our supporters, they helped us through these difficult times in an incredible way.”
Before the match, coach Serhi Rebrov said it was difficult for his team to concentrate on football.
“The missiles fly every day. Our mission is to show that we are all alive, that we are fighting against the Russians and that we need support from Europe,” Serhi Rebrov said.
He added that his players were “watching the news about the bombings of Odessa and Kyiv” and were “even more angry and eager to show [leur] potential in the field.
The coach praised the “character of [ses] players and [leur] nation” during this qualifying campaign while Ukraine organized its “home” matches in Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky praised the resilience of the national team on X: “Thank you to the team. For this important victory and this qualification for the EURO”.
“For proving once again that when Ukrainians face difficulties but do not give up and continue to fight, Ukrainians win for sure,” he added.
“At a time when the enemy is trying to destroy us, we demonstrate every day that Ukrainians are and will remain. Ukraine is and will remain! Glory to Ukraine!”
Serhi Rebrov’s team, in office since June 2023, almost obtained its ticket for Euro 2024 without going through the play-offs by finishing third in Group C on equal points with Italy, second and directly qualified, and behind England, first.
“It was very difficult to be on the bench today, I saw how difficult it was for the guys,” said the coach.
“I am grateful to them for this gift to our country. In such a difficult time, this is very important.”
(Reporting by Nick Said, with contributions from Olexander Kozhukhar in Kyiv and Shifa Jahan in Bangalore; French version Vincent Daheron, editing by Kate Entringer)
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