Vitalii Mykolenko: "Barella told me that the defender first played the ball and then the leg"

Ukraine defender Vitalii Mykolenko commented on the draw with Italy in the Euro 2024 qualifying match on Suspilne Sport TV channel.

- What are your emotions and thoughts on today's match?

- We are upset, because I think we played very well. We had chances in the second half, we could have scored. The head coach told us that we played on equal terms with the European champions. It's nice that we can stand up to teams like Italy.

- What happened in the moment with the violation on Mudryk? Was there a penalty?

- It seemed to me that Misha was throwing the ball and there was a foul. I spoke to Barella after the incident, and he said that the defender first played the ball and then the leg. I don't know, I need to watch the replays.

- How difficult was it to play against Zagnolo?

- Our tactics changed a bit today, it was easier. Zinchenko helped me very well and played with him more often.

- To sum up this group stage, what would you say about the performance of the Ukrainian national team?

- We did not qualify for the Euros, it's sad. But I am very proud of our team, I want to thank everyone in our team. We had a good qualification, but we were unlucky somewhere. Possible rivals in the play-offs? We didn't pay attention to it, because we were thinking about today's game.