Ruslan Rotan: "We were a real team, we wanted to get a result and deserved it one hundred per cent"

The head coach of the youth national team of Ukraine Ruslan Rotan answered journalists' questions after the match against Croatia (2-0) at Euro 2023 (U-21), which took place yesterday in Bucharest.

- Emotions and experiences were present today. Until our first goal, we were fully satisfied with the quality of the game. The weather also made adjustments - it was hot. We thank the guys for their dedication and character. We were a real team, we wanted to get a result and deserved it one hundred per cent. We thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine for standing behind us, for giving us the opportunity to play and to please with victories.

- What was your plan for the match? How would you rate the opponents' performance?

- The Croats were a bit of a mystery because they had a new coach, and it was difficult to predict their actions. But we managed, we figured out the opponent's plan. We understood that the Balkans would cover the middle of the field. But we are looking at our game and its improvement. I want to say that I really liked the first 30 minutes of our performance. In the second half, we adjusted our game. We understood that the Croats would go forward. When we scored the second goal, we had very good counterattacks in which we could have scored more. The Croats looked decent. Very strong individuals. The opponent created chances that we need to analyse.

- Your next match is against Romania. What do you think of this opponent?

- Now our task is to recover, because the matches take place in two days on the third. We also need to analyse our game. As for the Romanian national team, this team wants to play football, just like us, they want to attack. We will be playing away with the total support of the opponent, the stadium will be full, a full house. Emotionally, it will be a difficult match, we need to recover as best we can. But we still need to think about our game. I believe it will be a worthy match between the two teams.

- How satisfied are you with the performance of Bragaru, who was replaced by Nazarenko? Why did you make this starting choice?

- As for our choice, we tried to find a balance on the wing. You have to understand that Sudakov is exhausted after playing for the national team. It was dangerous to start him from the first minute, so we saved Georgy. Bragaru added balance to our attack because Vivcharenko is actively involved in the attack. Max works well between the lines and works one-on-one. Plus Kryskiv, who complements them from his side. So I think we basically got it right with this flank.

- Anatolii Trubin made several saves today. This is his fourth match in the last 10 days. Will Trubin remain the team's first choice, or will you look at his recovery?

- You said it right, Anatolii has a lot of workload. He played three matches for the national team. But he gives us reliability in terms of coming out of defence, he understands our requirements for goalkeepers better. All three of our goalkeepers are highly skilled, we could have used any of them. But in this match, we needed reliability, concentration, and calmness. In general, it turned out that way.