Ukraine midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko commented for vZbirna on the defeat in the Euro 2024 qualifying match against Italy (1-2).
Oleksandr Zinchenko (photo: O. Popov)- To be honest, the Italians completely outplayed us today. Both in terms of the result and the game. Why did we start playing better at the end of the second half than before? I think it's only because the Italians already wanted to keep the result and they went down a little bit and I think they were also a little tired. Yes, they dominated, they had the ball, they combined very well, but when you do that, you also get tired. That's why I think they played more for the result at the end.
- Why was it difficult at the beginning? Was it the strength of the teams?
- I think so. Italy is a top team, the players who play in the top clubs have a lot of experience, players who love to play football. You can see it when they combine with the ball, pass to each other. When you play with such pleasure, you don't even notice that your opponent is running a lot and getting tired. This is what happened to us. Today we spent a lot of energy in the first half, running around. But unfortunately, we didn't manage to find our game in the first half, and I think in the second half as well. We knew that it would be very difficult to play in this stadium, the support of the Italians was very good. There were also a lot of Ukrainians, but I think we let them down a bit today.
- But is it still possible to play against such teams?
- Of course it is, you have to play, go out and learn. I think that this game will be a very good experience for us, we will analyse it, the coach will point out our mistakes and we will see what happens in the second match. But before the second match, we still have very important games in which we need to get our points.
- If we take it in general, then somewhere the skill also decides your goal scored...
- To be honest, yes. The result is always decided by the skill of each player in his team. But I'll be honest, the Italians scored much more goals today than we did. Bushchan also made a lot of saves, helped the team as much as he could, but unfortunately, we did not get the result we wanted. So yes, the difference is made by the players with their skills.
- Who was the hardest opponent to play against on the pitch?
- I would say that, in general, the team played very well against us. It was difficult to find the right pressure from our side because, as I said, the Italians played football, each of them wanted to be on the ball, moved very well, combined. This is what we need to learn from teams like this.
- The Italians applauded at our national anthem, did you feel it, how did you perceive it?
- Yes, I had goosebumps. Thank you very much for the support. Wherever I am in Europe, I feel that Europe is with us and I am very grateful for that.
- What would you say about our standings and our chances of qualifying?
- I will say that the chances are still there. We need to take our points in the next matches, and then we'll see. I understand that a lot of people will talk about the return game with the Italians, but there will be matches before that. We have to go, as they say, step by step.
- Let's be honest, there is no room for error anymore...
- We will do everything to get all the points.
- Our captain is one goal closer to Shevchenko. He returned after a long break...
- He is our team leader, the captain. I am happy for him that he is getting closer to the record. He is working very hard on himself, it is all noticeable when you come to the national team. So I wish him only success and continue in the same spirit.
