On Monday 19 June, the Ukraine national team defeated Malta 1-0 in a Euro 2024 qualifying match. The meeting was nominally home to the Ukrainian national team, but was held in Trnava due to the war. Here is the post-match press conference of the head coach of Ukraine Serhiy Rebrov.
Sergey Rebrov. Photo by O. Vasilieva- It is difficult to play three games in 10 days. We knew that this meeting would be very tough. As in the last game, we were more confident in the second half. The main thing today was to get three points and move on.
- Everyone expected a more confident win. Did Ukraine play worse than they could, or Malta deserve praise?
- It is very difficult to play with such teams, because they have a very compact defence. I knew that we would play better in the second half than in the first one. They put a lot of energy, a lot of pressure, so the second half was a much better game from our side. I expected that. It's always difficult for us to play against such a full-bodied defence. We created a lot of chances in the second half. Yes, we should have scored more. I know that in Ukraine everyone expects 5-0, 6-0, but now all teams can defend.
- Why have you decided not to include Kochergin and Rusin in the application?
- Because we should have 23 players, someone should stay out of the starting lineup.
- Do you think it was a mistake when Matvienko was named in the starting line-up?
- I do not know what mistakes are. I look at how players are prepared for the match, how they play for their clubs, I analyze. As you can see, Mykolenko has not played for a long time. These are his first two games after the injury. I planned to release him in the second half. I think he raised our level of play in attack.
- Maybe you should have tried Sobol at the left back instead of Matvienko?
- I like all players, but I refer to the statistics and see who is better in each position. We have competition at each position, so I choose who will play. It's normal.
- Of course, it is too early to expect anything from the Ukraine national team. Why do you think it is so hard for us to beat opponents like Malta?
- Everyone knows how to defend. Yes, England won 4-0, but they scored a quick goal. It is very difficult without it. All teams in Europe nowadays can defend. Malta showed it in the first half.
I am not surprised that it was such a difficult game. I do not understand why everyone in Ukraine now believes that we must win with a difference of three or four goals. It's the last game in June, when it is normal for players to be on holiday. They are very tired after the season and I am grateful to them that we improved in the second half, as we did in the previous game. Yes, it is not very clear yet, but we have only been working for 10 days. It is not easy not only to explain to the players, but also to implement ideas on the pitch. When they are tired, it is very difficult to do so.
- Do you plan to attend the Youth Euro 2023 matches?
- Yes, I am planning to visit Bucharest. Tomorrow my assistants Vicente Gomez and Gleb Platov are leaving there. I will attend the second or third game of our national team. It is a very important tournament. I wish good luck to our team to qualify for the Olympics. As for the players, I spoke to them, they are very eager to play for the Youth national team. No one said that they wanted to rest before the Euros. They have done their best. I am sure that these players will help our youth team.
- What can we expect from the September matches of the Ukraine national team?
- We just faced Germany, showed a decent game. Next time we will have an official match, we must be ready for any match seriously. Ukraine has already proved that we can play with dignity against the giants. We have always set a goal - to get out of the group.
- How would you assess the performance of Tsygankov, who has already been appointed the team leader? How did you decide who would kick the second penalty?
- Viktor himself appointed himself as the team leader. No one appointed him. What he has done in the last three games is his merit. Before the game we decided that Yarmolenko would take a penalty. But after the first one failed, I saw that he offered Tsygankov to take it. I understood that Andriy was not psychologically ready for the second penalty. Therefore, I am grateful to Tsygankov for showing that he was ready for it.
