Norway U19 0-0 Ukraine U19 (UEFA European U19 Championships Group Stage)
Day two of my Northern Ireland excursion has me off to Linfield who face Stjarnan of Iceland in the UEFA Conference league qualifiers, but lucky me I've found out there's another competition going off in Belfast this week. The under 19's Euros has some of the continents top young talents on show and I've got time on my side to head to Seaview, the home of Crusaders, to watch a 3:30pm kick off between Norway and Ukraine.
Not before I spend the morning walking through CS Lewis Square in Belfast's East Side to the home of Glentoran however, after a quick McDonald's I'm jumping in the hire car and heading out to the Ulster Transport Museum where there's a couple of Delorean's on show.
The Venue
I've driven past the stadium a couple of times already whilst on the M2 and I pull up on the corner of Keadyville Avenue and park the car, a tiny white Toyota Yaris on loan from Hertz.
The walk up Shore Road is short, buses and TV trucks line the back of the stadium which is adjacent to the main road, I ask a steward for the South Stand entrance and he points me straight through the gate where I'm scanned by a girl with a zapper before asking her "where can I get a cup of tea".
Inside the venue it's spacious and adequate for this type of match, the goalies out doing their warm ups as I get a close up of the pitch, plastic, like most in these parts, a large seated stand hogs half way on the far side, to my left and right, low seated areas behind each goal and another long seated stand behind me, at the top of which I choose to sit, not before grabbing a cuppa and putting £2 contactless in a vending machine for some chocolate which doesn't come out.
The Game
I'm joined by an odd looking man who sits down beside me with long grey hair and a Yorkshire accent. "You're not from round here" he guesses. He's had ties with Halifax Town and endlessly drops the name of his friend Gary Worthington, apparently a good player back in the day, a scout for Manchester City he was a youth player with United before spells at Wrexham, Wigan and other lower echelon football league sides.
He's a lovely chap who got the ferry over to watch a week's worth of football and I've talked him around to missing Northern Ireland's youth match with Italy tonight to instead head down to Windsor Park and watch Linfield.
Whilst chatting the games going off. Norway are on the front foot at full throttle but Ukraine throw bodies on the line, blocking shots and crosses it's not pretty, but frantic, the two sides going at it, without the end goal.
The Score
The first half flies by as I hear all about this chaps football career. Norway have a couple of half sniffs and crack a post early through Faraas whilst a shot by Kilen is well stopped by Krapyvtsov who's the busier of the two goalies.
The second half is much of the same, no real cutting edge but both teams try hard and i'm well into hearing stories of Halifax Senior Cup Finals. Left back Aleksander Andresen impresses me the most with his powerful forward runs for Norway, the tidy Krevsun the best of an average bunch of grafters for Ukraine, not even a cameo for sub Kristian Shevchenko can improve matters. The son of Andrei looks nowhere near as good as dad.
As the game goes on it becomes end to end with both sides looking for a winner but both lack that killer instinct, by the time the whistle blows the Ukraine players collapse on their feet. They've put a lot in, got small reward, a point a piece has Norway facing Northern Ireland next needing to better Ukraine's result, the yellows facing Italy in their final group stage game before a potential semi-final slot.
The Stars
As mentioned, the short and stocky Andresen at left back for Norway looked a good prospect, hard working and forward running, thick set but hair reseeding (already at 19) he was good on the ball, powerful and always fair game and combative.
Silkier in motion was Newcastle United youngster Travis Hernes, a tidy midfielder with the ball at his feet, whilst next to him, I couldn't help notice the giant Eivind Helland, a holding midfielder well disciplined and decent in possession.
For Ukraine, a player I've seen before is Dortmund youngster Danylo Krevsun. He glides around the pitch in a number eight position and has an eye for a pass, he possibly shone most along with Matkevych of Dynamo Kiev who was busy down the left.
The Verdict
The best thing about the match was probably Norway's funky kit. Gone away from tradition of plain cherry red shirts there's now a white and blue stripe down the middle, at least jazzing up the appearances on show for the day which was largely grey and dull.
Ukraine in standard all yellow, were typically hard working and it was good to see there players sprawled on the floor at the end of the match, having put everything in to get a nil nil draw.
What next for these nations? Well one at least will get a semi final slot with Italy. Unless Northern Ireland have anything to do with it, but whilst both teams were organised, both lacked the creativity to unlock defences, which might be the Achilles heel as either look to progress.
The Teams
Norway: Martin Borsheim, Filip Loftesnes-Bjune, Simen Haram (Hakon Rosten 79), Rasmus Holten, Aleksander Andresen, Sander Kilen, Travis Hernes (Daniel Braut 68), Elvind Helland, Sondre Granaas, Edwin Austbo (Bork Bang-Kittilsen 68), Benjamin Faraas (Julian Gonstad 68).
Ukraine: Vladyslav Krapyvtsov, Oleksiy Gusev, Maksym Melnychenko, Taras Mykhavko, Mykola Oharkov (Ivan Yemachkov 21), Danil Vashchenko, Timur Tutierov (Kristian Shevchenko 62), Ramik Hadzhyiev, Danylo Krevsun, Andrii Matkevych, Matvii Ponomarenko (Dmytro Bohdanov 62).
3:30pm Kick Off. Thursday 18th July 2024, Seaview, Belfast (att 612).
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