Former Ukraine midfielder Yaroslav Khoma shared his impressions of the confrontation in the Czech capital with КОМАНДА1.
Yaroslav Khoma (photo: football24.ua)- I liked the match, which kept me in suspense almost until the final whistle. It was felt that the opponents were determined, did not spare themselves in martial arts, acted with an open mind, so there were plenty of goal chances...
- Was the starting line-up of the Ukrainian national team expected?
- Yes, because the head coach Serhii Rebrov has already decided on those performers he is counting on in this qualifying round. The only uncertainty is who will replace the injured Yarmolenko on the right flank of the midfield. Ahead of time, it should be admitted that the absence of Andriy and Tsygankov, who also could not help due to injury, was felt. And in Prague, the choice was made on Zubkov, a mobile player who is more aggressive than his competitors for this position, Malinowski and Karavaev.
- If Rebrov had already decided on the main group of players, was the tactical formation expected?
- Of course. Our team started with a 4-2-3-1 formation, which was transformed into a 4-3-3 in the other half of the field. No surprises. The visitors had the same situation. However, strangely enough, the opponents spent a lot of time on reconnaissance, and it did not come to a quick goal.
- And yet, in the middle of the first half, the nominal hosts took the lead when, after Sudakov's shot, the rebound became an ally...
- At that time, thanks to more balanced actions, the Ukrainians were already dictating the terms, and the goal was, as they say, brewing. And the fact that the ricochet helped is a common occurrence in football.
- Perhaps it was the goal scorer who was the best in our team in the first half?
- No, I remember Mudryk more. He often took over the game and played for a goal, but unfortunately, he acted too straightforwardly when he was in a striking position. I would also like to mention Trubin, who was at his best in several episodes.
- Did the nature of the Ukrainian national team's play change after the break?
- In my opinion, at the beginning of the second half, the guys decided to play by the score and went too deep. Rebrov even had to demand from the technical area that they meet the Balkans higher. However, even in this period, we felt that the game was under our control. And the cherry on top: Karavaev's goal in stoppage time, which sealed the victory for the Ukrainians. To be honest, it was aerobatics. Oleksandr pleased with his outstanding performance.
- And finally, general impressions of the match...
- Our team played for victory. I liked that the opponents were very motivated. I am glad that no one from our team dropped out of the ensemble. The only thing that surprised me was Zinchenko's considerable lack of assists. Of course, it's a shame that the strikers Dovbyk and Yaremchuk, who replaced him, left the field without a goal again. Although they had scoring chances. We can only hope that in the next matches everything will be fine with the aim. In my opinion, the key to today's success was still a fairly high level of game discipline and physical readiness. Now I would like to wish the guys to recover properly and win the next exam in Malta. Without it, the significance of the Prague victory will be levelled.
Vasyl Mikhailov
