Former Dynamo forward Oleh Salenko assessed the game of the Ukrainian national team against Italy (2-1).
- Peculiar impressions after the match. For the first 25 minutes there was no football at all, then we woke up a little bit. It's good that we scored an accidental goal. The second half put everything in its place - there was no offensive play, everyone was on the defensive. Obviously, the team was not ready for the second game - it's good that the Italians stopped in the last 15-20 minutes and didn't run anywhere. They were satisfied with the result. This is understandable, because they did their job. The Ukrainian national team had to go forward, try to score, but there was no reserve of strength.
- How would you assess the performance of the leaders of the Ukrainian national team in this confrontation?
- All the leaders were lost in the match against Italy. There was not enough freshness, chemistry, experience to hold the ball. One or two players shouldn't decide the game, but when several of the team's leading players get lost, the game doesn't go on. For example, Mudryk doesn't play at Chelsea, and he can't open up in the national team. He needs to change teams and go somewhere else. Tsygankov is playing a completely different style of football in Spain, and in this match he was also invisible. Yarmolenko also lacks physical condition. He passes, but he is not the player who used to be able to run forward. Andriy tried several times, but it is noticeable that he lacks strength. There was no one else to create chances.
It's clear that in the first match we ran out of steam, but that's no excuse, because we could at least hold the ball and roll it. In the rest of the games, Italy controlled the ball, and our team did not have the strength to take it away.
- Who can you single out in the Ukrainian national team?
- With such a game it is difficult to single out anyone. The defenders did their job, few ran forward. Perhaps Taras Stepanenko can be singled out in terms of working moments. As a supporting player, he fulfilled all his tasks.
- What can you say about the football that Serhii Rebrov is trying to instil in the national team?
- So far, I do not understand much about what exactly he is trying to instil in the national team. After the match with England, we wanted to attack, but we played defence - we are playing defence. After such a match, it is difficult to say what style of play we have. The matches with England and Italy were different, but there should be more confrontations with such rivals. But the Ukrainian national team hasn't yet succeeded in playing in a new way: holding the ball, "rolling" and waiting for their moment.
- What are the chances of leaving the group?
- There are chances. Let's hope for a positive result in the next two matches and that England will help. Perhaps in the match against the Italians we will do something.
Mykola Tymoshchuk