The Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) has officially announced the departure of Unai Melgosa, the head coach of the Ukraine U-21 national team, as confirmed by the association’s official portal. Both parties reached a mutual decision not to extend the contract, which expired this summer.
Under Melgosa’s guidance, the team played 29 matches, securing victories in only 13 of them. While the team managed to qualify for the European Championship last year, the campaign ended prematurely after the group stage. Currently, the team is struggling in the qualifiers for the next Euro, holding third place in their group.
The standings in Group H are currently as follows: Croatia leads with 13 points (5 games, 11:1 goal difference), followed by Turkey with 11 points (6 games), and Ukraine with 8 points (6 games, 10:7 goal difference). Hungary follows with 3 points, and Lithuania rounds out the group with 2 points.
The search for a new head coach is now a priority for the UAF. The incoming staff will face significant pressure to re-establish the team’s momentum and secure points in the remaining qualifying matches. For Ukrainian football fans, this change signifies a turning point in the development of the youth national team, as the country continues to navigate the challenges of building a competitive squad amid broader national difficulties.