The soccer World Cup 2022 It could well be the most controversial to date. Although the event is still several months away from starting – its start is scheduled for November –, has already provoked intense debates regarding the human rights incidents occurred in the organizing country, Qatar.
This hasn't stopped, however, the efforts of national teams around the world to qualify for the World Cup. Ukraine, whose team has the possibility of reaching the final phase for the first time in 16 years, It is one of them. How does the current selection compare to previous ones??
What Ukraine needs to secure its ticket to Qatar
Unlike previous venues, as Brazil, Qatar is a more conservative place, where fans will be more restricted in terms of their celebrations. The alcohol, For example, has a "sin tax", so the price of a beer oscillates around 11 dollars. Besides, the bets, so popular in football, are prohibited in Qatar, so it is not possible to access casinos online in Qatari territory.
The qualifiers in which Ukraine will participate will follow a new modality: 12 teams will compete in six semifinals in March, and those who win will participate in three finals that will be dictated by the three countries that will travel to Qatar.
Ukraine got some luck, because the draw paired them with Scotland and freed them from facing more intimidating teams like Portugal and Italy. Although the British will not be an easy rival, Ukraine could well prevail over them.
If Ukraine manages to beat Scotland, Your rival in the final will be Wales or Austria. However, it won't be an easy task. With stars like Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey among its ranks, The Welsh team is strong and well prepared. Austria, meanwhile, already beat Ukraine in 2021, so Oleksandr Petrakov's men will have to work harder this time.
Ukraine has shown a good performance lately and is undefeated in seven games, a streak that includes a draw against France.
If Andriy Yarmolenko continues relentless in attack and the Ukrainian defense proves resistant, The team could advance to the next round and try to surpass the country's previous participation in a major tournament..
Germany World Cup 2006: quarter finals
Although the quarterfinals reached by Ukraine in the last Euro Cup were a remarkable feat, It is not the greatest achievement in the history of the national team. This honor falls to the team that participated in the World Cup in Germany 2006, who reached the quarterfinals.
The great results of the team 2006 se debieron en gran parte a Andriy Shevchenko y Serhiy Rebrov, the most effective attacking duo in the history of the national team. During their advance through the group stage, Ukraine defeated Saudi Arabia with a dramatic 4-0 in which both Rebrov and Shevchenko scored.
Their confrontation with Switzerland in the round of 16 ended in a draw (0-0) and the tie had to be resolved in the penalty shootout. Despite Shevchenko's ruling, the Ukrainians prevailed 3-0 and they got the ticket for the quarterfinals, where they would lose against Italia, to the dessert champion of the tournament.
Despite the poor performance of the Ukrainian team in that match that many considered unexciting, It is undeniable that Shevchenko and Rebrov were more outstanding than any other player who came after them.. The current team must prepare and arm itself with audacity to overcome the selection of 2006.
Euro Cup 2012: group stage
A year after the formidable performance of the Ukrainian team that took them to the quarterfinals, the country received good news: together with Poland, they would host the Eurocup 2012.
The announcement raised expectations among Ukrainians, who longed for a victory at home, but the results prior to the tournament did not bode well: A draw against Germany and two defeats against Türkiye and Austria left the team without impetus ahead of the big event..
Ukraine debuted with a victory against Sweden, but the illusion soon faded with the defeats against France and England, who left out the Ukrainians in the group stage. At least they weren't the only ones with poor performance: Poland was also eliminated after two draws with Greece and Russia and a defeat against the Czech Republic.
Unlike the selection of 2006, the Eurocup team 2012 It was not up to par with the current one.. By then, Shevchenko already had 35 years and his level was not what it was before; in fact, the ukrainian star He left football to enter politics. after the Euro Cup dispute.
What can we expect from the current Ukrainian team compared to previous ones??
Comparing previous Ukrainian teams with the current one can give us an idea of how the team will perform in the March qualifiers.
Although today's Ukraine lacks the solidity that the one that participated in the World Cup in Germany had, yes it is superior to the selection of 2012, especially with players like Andriy Yarmolenko and Oleksandr Zinchenko, so the team has many numbers to qualify for the Qatar World Cup and do a good job.