Artem Dovbyk: "If everyone gives their best, we can beat Italy"

Ukraine forward Artem Dovbyk commented on the 3-1 win over Malta in yesterday's Euro 2024 qualifying match.

- The beginning of the first half was not very good, and there are several reasons for this. We played recently, and we were preparing for such a difficult, viscous game. The coach set us up that it would not be easy for us, and Malta would look for their chances on the counterattack. And that's exactly what happened. It's good that we managed to pull ourselves together and get three points.

We were lucky in some ways, of course. But we took the initiative into our own hands, created a couple of good chances that turned into goals. Personally, it was harder for me to fight with the Maltese defenders than with the North Macedonian defenders. The Macedonians gave space, but the Maltese did not. They sat very low, and I had to fight with them all the time. I don't even know how many fights I had during this match. It was a tough football with many provocations from the Maltese.

In the match against Italy, which will be a battle for Euro 2024, we will have to give our all. Everyone must give their best. This is the only way to beat a team like Italy," Dovbyk said.