PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Ukraine’s Under-20 men’s national team won 4-1 against Panama on June 3 in Tychy, Poland, in the Round of 16 of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland and advanced to the quarterfinals against Colombia on June 7. Tournament hosts Poland lost 0-1 in the Round of 16 against Italy. Ukraine enjoys the home crowd of Poles cheering them on.
Against Panama, Danylo Sikan opened the scoring for Ukraine in the 23rd minute, Denys Popov headed in Ukraine’s second goal of the match in the 41st minute from a rebound off the crossbar of the goal, and Sikan netted the third goal (his second of the match) with a left-footed slide to beat the goalie in extra time of the first half (45+1).
Panama showed signs of life with a goal by Ernesto Walker in the 50th minute, but Ukraine was the dominant team as Serhiy Buletsa blasted in Ukraine’s fourth goal in the 83rd minute from the left side of the penalty area.
Popov and Sikan are Ukraine’s top goal-scorers for the tournament with three goals each; Buletsa has two goals.
Ukraine’s next match against Colombia in Lodz, Poland, should be more evenly matched, as Colombia finished in second place in Group A with six points. Ukraine topped Group D with seven points. In the Round of 16, Colombia won 5-4 on penalty kicks after drawing 1-1 with New Zealand.
Other teams in the quarterfinals include Italy (third-place winner in 2017) against Mali, the United States against Ecuador, and South Korea against Senegal. The semifinal round is set for June 11, and the final is scheduled for June 15 in Lodz. Other host cities have been Bielsko-Biala, Gdynia, Bydgoszcz and Lublin.
Ukraine has competed in the tournament since 2001, with four appearances; this is the first time Ukraine has advanced to the knockout stage and the quarterfinal. This is a strong indicator that Ukraine’s soccer players have honed their skills and its youth soccer programs have developed world-class players.