Ukraine defender Oleksandr Karavayev commented on the Euro 2024 qualifying match against Northern Macedonia.
"As they say, only the first and last things are remembered. So I remember the fans' fierce support when we took the field and throughout the match, and the last goal, of course. It turned out very well. I want to repeat once again that history is really cyclical, because eight years ago, on 9 October, I made my debut for the national team against this very team. I also came on as a substitute in the 86th minute with the score 1-0, and in the 91st minute we scored the second goal. It wasn't me then, but now it was me who did it. It's very nice.
The whole team did what the coaching staff said. We played very well in defence, and in attack, everyone saw that we were capable of creating many chances. Perhaps, we were a little bit disappointed with the execution. With the score 1-0, everyone continued to show the game that is characteristic of us, and then brought it to the end with a goal. Of course, I want to take every opportunity to make the game calmer, but it happened as it happened. The main thing is the victory. There are two more matches left, so we will tune in to them as best we can.
Although I came on in the 87th minute, it happens that you have five, seven, 10 minutes, and you can do a lot of useful things in them. Perhaps in the rough work, to help from behind and in front. Play smartly and correctly. That's what Serhii Rebrov told me when I came on to replace the attacking line player. We had to play more disciplined in defence, because the Macedonians were going forward with all their might. On the other hand, after interceptions, we had opportunities to counterattack. Even before my goal, there were two or three moments when we could have closed the match.
Everyone knows what the situation in our country is now and wants the war to end as soon as possible. They want us to win and for the fans to return to the stands in their home towns. But everyone can see that even if we play abroad, we have support. Perhaps it was this support that let the opponent know that we had to win. The support was incredible! I also remember that the fans supported us not sitting but standing. Can you imagine standing on your feet for two hours and supporting the players? This once again shows how unbreakable and strong our people are. Our soldiers, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, are an example for us here, and we are very grateful to them.
If we look at the recovery for the next match, it's good that the game didn't take place at a late hour. This is very important because, as they say, there are no extra hours for recovery. We have a strong coaching staff that will analyse Malta's game and tell us how we need to act to achieve a positive result. In addition, we need to prepare mentally. We need to understand that there will be no easy matches. We have seen that North Macedonia is a very strong, disciplined team. They have good players in attack. But, as it turned out, we are much stronger. We did everything right," said Alexander Karavayev.