Myron Markevych, a well-known Ukrainian coach and current manager of Lviv's Karpaty, told Team1 what, in his opinion, prevented the Ukrainian national team from tipping the scales in their favour in the match against Italy.
- The match left a double impression. In general, our team pleased with the good organisation of the game, the right tactics were chosen in the first half, first of all, not to concede. In the end, the Ukrainians were also lucky, because if the guests had created their goal-scoring chances before the break, it would have been difficult to count on a positive result.
- But yesterday the Ukrainians were satisfied only with victory...
- In the second half, the situation on the pitch began to look more encouraging. At least, we managed to push the game away from our own possession. Moreover, Mudryk took advantage of the goalkeeper's inconsistency with the stops and found himself in a striking position. However, in the final stage, he acted straightforwardly, and Donnarumma confidently won the duel.
But the main thing is that over time, the Italian's actions were affected by fatigue. Nevertheless, winning the first of the double-headers, against the Macedonians, took a lot of energy. I was hoping that our players would pick up the pace, adopt flank attacks and put the opposition under pressure. Especially as the fans, who filled the BayArena to capacity, were driving the Ukrainians forward. However, unfortunately, I did not see how the nominal hosts could force the guests to capitulate...
- But in stoppage time, the Ukrainians deserved a penalty when the visitors' defender brought down Mudryk, who was rushing to Donnarumma's goal...
- The penalty was, indeed, more likely, but referee Manzano from Spain had a different point of view. Let it be on his conscience, although Mudryk could have played this episode to the end, because he had already beaten his counterpart...
But we have to admit that at the end of the match our team did not show any well-coordinated team actions, lacking the last accurate pass, and the Italians, defending with great strength, managed to hold on to the coveted draw.
Perhaps Serhii Rebrov should have brought on Malynovskyi with his cannonball earlier, especially as the Italians did not apply high pressure. That is why there is a feeling that the Ukrainians did not use all their reserves to make it directly to the finals of Euro 2024.
Yes, our guys were very diligent and willing to play through the motions, but at key moments they lacked performance skills and creativity. However, we shouldn't forget that yesterday our opponent was Italy, the reigning European champion, who did not hide their joy when everything ended with the signing of the peace agreement.
- Fortunately, the Ukrainians still have a chance to make it to Euro 2024 through the head-to-head matches...
- A lot will depend on the draw. Although our current national team is quite capable, with a good selection of players. And if we are still lucky enough to improve the attack, I think we can win a pass to Germany...
Vasyl Mikhailov