Ukraine Capital: Kyiv Population: 45.8m Qualification for Euro 2012: As hosts
Group D - The Competing Countries
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Manager: Oleh Blokhin Most capped player: Anatoliy Tymoschuk – 114 Highest goal scorer: Andrei Shevchenko – 46 Best European Championship: First appearance Ukraine will be competing in their first ever European Championship this summer, and only the country’s second ever major tournament, having not qualified in their four previous attempts. The closest they have previously come was finishing second in their Euro 2000 qualifying group, before losing out to Slovenia in the play-offs; whilst their only appearance in the World Cup came in 2006 in Germany, where they reached the quarter final. The main drawback of being hosts is that by the time the tournament begins they will not have played any competitive football for over two years, so it is hard to judge their form coming into the tournament.
Recent friendly results, however, including a 3-3 draw against Germany and a 2-1 win against Austria in November 2011, have shown some signs that a cohesive team is coming together at the right time. Andriy Shevchenko is expected to lead his country at this year’s tournament, which is likely to be his last before he retires. The country’s record goal scorer, with 46 goals in his 105 caps, will carry the hopes of the home nation along with experienced midfielder and record appearance holder, Anatoliy Tymoschuk. Other key players for Ukraine will include former Barcelona defender and defensive lynchpin Dmytro Chyhrynksyi, and Dynamo Kyiv forward Artem Milevskyi, who is likely to partner Shevchenko in attack. Coach Oleh Blokhin will be hoping he can rely on the mixture of youth and experience within his squad, with the key unknown quantity of a partisan and vociferous home support, to get his side all the way to the final in Kyiv on July 1st. Despite being co-hosts, Ukraine will be the last country to get their campaign underway, kicking off against Sweden in Kyiv on 11th June. This means that if they are to lift the trophy they will have to play 6 matches in only 21 days.
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UKRAINE Sweden Capital: Stockholm Population: 9.4m Qualification for Euro 2012: Best runners-up (Group E) Manager: Erik Hamrén Most capped player: Thomas Ravelli – 143 Highest goal scorer: Sven Rydell – 49 Best European Championship: Semi-finalists in 1992 It is 20 years since Sweden last made a significant bid to win the European Championship. Having failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, the Swedes will be happy to return to a major tournament this summer. They finished as the best runners-up in qualifying behind a very strong Dutch side in Group E.
rely on the mercurial talents of AC Milan forward and talismanic captain, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The side’s one true ‘world class’ player, like Shevchenko, this is likely to be his last major tournament, and he will be keen to go out on a high note. One thing in Sweden’s favour is that they will not have far to travel – all three of their Group Stage games are to be played in Kyiv’s Olympic Stadium, and they will be hoping that a solid base will be the perfect opportunity to reach the knockout stages for the first time since their quarter-final appearance in Portugal in 2004. To do so, however, they will have to negotiate one of the toughest groups in the tournament, beginning with their match against the co-hosts on 11th June.
The Swedes managed a 3-2 home victory against Holland in qualifying, as well as a very strong 3-1 friendly victory in Zagreb in February, showing that if they play to their potential they are a side to be feared in Poland and Ukraine this summer. If Sweden are to progress into the later stages of the tournament, much will fansembassy.org // 2012fanguide.org // facebook.com/FansEmbassies // Twitter @FansEmbassies
53 Group D - The Competing Countries
UKRAINE
Group D - The Competing Countries