Former Shakhtar player Serhiy Yashchenko shared his impressions of the Euro 2024 qualifying round match between Ukraine and North Macedonia (2-0), which took place yesterday in Prague.
Sergey Yashchenko- I really liked the start of the game, the first 20 minutes, which inspired optimism and gave hope for a good result, - said Serhiy. - The Ukraine national team had everything during this period - mood, initiative and speed.
Unfortunately, then we allowed the opponent to change the course of the game, and the same happened in the second half. It was good that Trubin played very cool in several episodes, and Sudakov had such a shot. Macedonians after the break had nothing to do but to take risks. What difference does it make - 0:1 to lose or 0:2? So they got this 0:2...
- There was a lot of talk before the match about the absence of Tsygankov and Yarmolenko. Did you manage to solve this problem?
- Zubkov's appearance is not an equal replacement for Tsygankov, who was still missing in the game against the Macedonians. Yarmolenko, as the course of events showed, especially in the second half, would also come in handy for the Ukraine national team. The main thing is that our team did not allow the opponent to show their individual qualities, because almost all the players of the North Macedonian team are quite strong in working with the ball. However, I would like to note that they obviously overdid it in the period from 37th to 39th minute, when they abused holding the ball instead of finishing combinations with strikes - then it would have been very difficult for us....
- Who would you name as the player of the match?
- Macedonian goalkeeper Dimitrijevski, who saved his team in seemingly hopeless situations. And the second goal conceded will not affect my opinion at all. In this moment the opponents' goalkeeper acted according to the situation, because Karavaev could have passed, so Dimitrievski came out of the gate. However, Karavaev decided to shoot, and the ball on the grass slippery from the rain gained a furious speed. It so happened that all Macedonians ran to save the situation and missed the counter-attack of the Ukrainians. Therefore, we should not blame their goalkeeper. The only thing I would add is that Trubin should be noted.
- What can you say about the quality of the game of the Ukrainian national team, despite the result?
- It was a fight to the first goal, and it is very good that it was our team that scored it. I think the fans liked the match, because it had everything - intrigue, goals, dynamics. However, a significant lack of individual quality of play from the Ukrainians is a cause for concern. I do not know what influenced it - the quality of the pitch or fatigue ...
The fact that the Ukraine national team does not control the game to a proper degree is not very pleasing. It is necessary to keep the situation under control at least 70 per cent of the time, but our team can not do it, that's why there are quite validal segments.... Of course, it's a team victory, so it's hard to single out anyone. As they say, the game is forgotten, but the result remains.
- The first substitution was very important and Malinovskyi came on the pitch. How do you assess this coaching move?
- Malinovskyi, as well as Mudryk, are players who can not defend. Accordingly, we need to look at what tasks Ruslan came out to solve. In my opinion, it was noticeable that Malinovskyi was dissatisfied with the fact that he was not put in the starting line-up. Perhaps, that's why he came out without a good mood for the game.
- Mudryk, who was injured during the game, had to be replaced. His possible non-participation in the match against Malta is a significant disadvantage for our team?
- Of course, although I hope that Mikhail is fine. I want to note that Mudryk is still playing youth football - he wants to go round everyone, run away from everyone.... When he matures in terms of play, he will be able to fully reveal all his undoubtedly wonderful talents.
- What should we expect from the next Euro 2024 qualifying match - against Malta?
- Malta should not be underestimated - nowadays all European teams can cause trouble, all of them are well versed in modern football. However, we should not forget that the Maltese are still not the level of the Ukrainian national team. I do not think that Serhiy Rebrov will make significant changes in the squad, unless injuries and injuries can make adjustments.
It is clear that in this situation, the loss of points will be a disaster for the Blue-Yellows. We should be worried because, as a rule, the second match in a double-header is always worse for the Ukrainian national team than the first. It's not easy to say why... Either our players become overconfident after victories, or they do not have time to recover. I hope that Serhiy Rebrov will be able to convey to his subordinates everything that is important. We will see...
Oleg Semenchenko
