In an interview with Dynamo.kiev.ua, UEFA Honorary Member Hryhorii Surkis commented on the performance of the Ukrainian national team in the Euro 2024 qualifying round and also told what he thinks about the prospects of the national team in the play-offs of the European Championship qualifying round, where the first rival of Serhii Rebrov's team will be the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Hryhoriy Surkis- Hryhorii Mykhailovych, how natural do you see the results of the competition in our qualifying group?
- When the draw was made for Ukraine to join England and Italy, I think few people expected that the Blue and Yellows would be able to impose real competition on the favourites. After all, it was a competition with the two strongest teams in the Old World - the champion and vice-champion of Euro 2021.
However, we managed to intervene in the dispute for one of the tickets to Germany. So much so that Rebrov's team claimed a direct entry until the last second. I am sure the Italians in the decisive match in Leverkusen were very relieved to hear the final whistle. For us, it was a disappointment, moreover, aggravated by the resonant episode with Mudryk's fall in someone else's penalty area in stoppage time. If the referee had awarded an 11-metre penalty, and Ukraine had scored, this success would hardly have been regarded as accidental and undeserved. Without detracting from the class and authority of Scuadra Azzurra, I can state that our team played on an equal footing with a formidable opponent, and, having finished behind them only on additional indicators, left the group round with their heads held high.
- So, the work of Rebrov and his staff should be assessed with a solid "good plus"?
- I'd suggest waiting for the results of the play-offs to make a final assessment. Nevertheless, I cannot but note the progress that the national team has already made under Serhii Stanislavovych's leadership.
He took over the national team at a difficult time. On the eve of the matches of the June session, he received at his disposal players who had just finished a gruelling club season, which took place, let me remind you, against the backdrop of a full-fledged war. Under Rebrov's leadership, I believe the national team has not failed to win a single match. Even the away defeat to Italy would not be a liability, as there was a fight between worthy rivals in Milan, where the home walls proved decisive.
Instead, the Ukrainian national team has been deprived of the advantage of its home field and the support of the stands for almost two years now. The search for stadiums and training facilities, complicated logistics, and the understandable morale of the players and coaches have not been additional arguments in favour of the Blue and Yellows. However, neither Rebrov, nor his assistants, nor the players complained about these conditions. The entire team did their job with dedication, and eventually the team reached a really high level of skill and character.
- What was your general attitude to the appointment of Rebrov, an already recognised club coach, as the head coach of the national team?
- Of course, all of Serhii's coaching achievements are related to club football. However, despite the radically different specifics, I had no doubt that in a new role for himself, Rebrov would also cope with this new challenge.
Where did you get your confidence from? I've known Serhiy for thirty years, since he was a very young boy fighting for a place in the Dynamo Kyiv team. Before my eyes, the newcomer turned into a European-level scorer, a real winner, one of the best pupils of the great Valery Lobanovsky. Having stepped on the coaching path, he was never afraid to experiment, was not afraid to make mistakes, and never stopped learning and improving himself. So, given the professional and human qualities of the new coach of the Ukrainian national team, I clearly understood that it was in good hands.
- What do you think is the core of this team? What are the main features of its portrait, so to speak?
- I would like to point out the character of the team, which had virtually no time to "roll out", "rub in", or adjust to the requirements of the new coaching staff. Leaving aside the forced training session with Polish side Lechia, the national team played only official games after the sparring match with Germany, where every point they gained was worth its weight in gold.
Under Rebrov's leadership, the players who proved their right to play in the top leagues of Europe were brought in. The core of the national team is currently made up of Dynamo's Mykolenko, Tsygankov and Zabarnyi, Donetsk's Trubin and Mudryk, and Dnipro's Dovbyk. They joined the company of experienced legionnaires Zinchenko and Malinowski.
Rebrov also uses promising youngsters. Vanat, a 21-year-old debutant, played in the aforementioned away match against the Italians. One of the most prominent figures in the midfield is the Kyiv player's peer, Shakhtar's Sudakov. And thanks to the help of powerful veterans - Yarmolenko, Stepanenko, Sydorchuk - our national team has become an effective fusion of experience and youth.
- What do you think of the play-off draw for the Ukrainian team? It seems that the prospect of facing the Bosnians and, if successful, reaching the winner of the Israel-Iceland match looks more pleasant than a meeting with Wales or Poland.
- As for me, all of this is just a calculation on paper. Indeed, the Poles and the Welsh played at the 2022 World Cup, while our next and potential opponents did not. Bosnia-Herzegovina did not meet the expectations of its supporters in the current qualifiers. But I would still not rush to judgement. And even more so, I would not get cold feet. Every play-off match is a final. And sometimes unexpected, unpredictable things happen in the finals.
Of course, if the matches were held now, when our players are clearly in good shape, we could dare to make bolder predictions. But it's too early to look ahead to March. We can only hope that the leaders of the Ukrainian national team will keep fit and avoid injuries, and that Yarmolenko, who was missing from the team, will return to action.
The coaches will certainly keep their finger on the pulse. You can see for yourself how closely Rebrov follows the performances of the national team players and candidates for it: he is in the stands in almost every round of the UPL. I have no doubt that he will follow his wards just as closely in the winter. It is likely that one of the newcomers will get a chance - there are plenty of talented youngsters in the youth team, which started the 2025 UEFA European Championship qualifiers with five consecutive victories. Vanat and Taloverov, Brazhko, as we know, are already "in pencil".
So, the national team's performance gives us reason to be optimistic about the future, to trust Serhii Rebrov and his assistants and, without a doubt, to believe in victories. All of Ukraine needs them now more than ever!
Oleksandr Popov
