Head coach of the Ukrainian national team Serhii Rebrov shared his thoughts on the draw in the Euro 2024 qualifying match with Italy on Suspilne Sport.
Sergey Rebrov"I don't have VAR, I can't watch it. Emotionally, I think there was a penalty, but the referee probably looked at VAR and decided. I am grateful to the players not only for this moment - at the end we really tried to snatch the victory. It didn't work out, but I am optimistic about the future with this team.
We changed our scheme and game model, and in the first half it worked very well for the defence. Yes, we didn't create many chances, but we were playing the reigning European champion. In the second half, the plan was to press more, to act more intensively. I think we succeeded in that. In the second half, we had good chances and an opportunity to win the game. As for our game plan, we did not play with five defenders. In the second half, when we needed to attack and score, we used more players in attack.
I've only been working for six months. There is an improvement in my vision of the players' game. They understand the tactics we are trying to give them. The first steps are always very difficult, but even in this group we looked very decent. We fought until the last round, and as I said, we are optimistic about the future. We have two very important matches ahead of us. We have to return to our clubs and start preparing for these games. Rivals in the play-offs? There are no top teams there. Even if we get into Group A, we don't need to be afraid of anyone. We need to prepare for any opponent, and we will do so," said Rebrov.
