Pyatov and Chygrynskiy upbeat over Ukraine bid

Ukraine head into the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Denmark aiming at least to match their last appearance at these finals when they finished runners-up in Portugal five years ago.

Pavlo Yakovenko has named a talented and experienced 23-man squad which some consider to be stronger than the class of 2006 and includes members of the country's U19 team that won the European crown in 2009. However, FC Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov, an influential performer in Ukraine's run to the 2006 final, insists it will take more than individual talent to succeed in Denmark.

"We had a great team spirit back then and everyone said it was a united and fully committed group," said Pyatov, 26, who proceeded to replace Olexandr Shovkovskiy as Ukraine's No1 during 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying. "I wouldn't say we were technically superior, but we had good organisation and the individual skills of some players helped us get great results."

Shakhtar centre-back Dmytro Chygrynskiy, meanwhile, played every minute of Ukraine's five-match campaign in Portugal – which ended in defeat by the Netherlands – and has made 27 senior international appearances since. The defender understands more than most the impact that success at youth level can have.

"I have really happy and exciting memories of that tournament, it was my first international experience and I was very young," said the 24-year-old. "Second place in Portugal was a success for our team, and it was also a serious motivation in terms of my career development."

Ukraine will be confident going into their Group B opener against the Czech Republic on Sunday, having proved their worth on foreign soil in qualifying. Yakovenko's side won three of their four Group 8 away fixtures, compared with one at home.

They are also resilient, having held out for the last half-hour in their qualifying play-off against the Netherlands when one more Oranje goal would have ended Ukrainian hopes. Their eventual away goals victory entitles Chygrynskiy to say: "The young players performed very well in their group and in the play-offs."