Ukraine defender Valerii Bondar shared his impressions of the start of the national team's preparations for the semi-final play-off match of the Euro 2024 qualifiers with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Valerii Bondar and Serhii Rebrov. Photo: Getty ImagesYesterday, the Ukrainian national team held the first full day of the Spanish training camp in Marbella. The team trained on the field of the Banus football centre. The start of preparations for the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina was commented on by the blue and yellow defender Valery Bondar.
"Today's work was mostly focused on physical exercises. There was a lot of sprinting speed workload. But everything with the ball, with the completion of attacks. It's always good for players, especially when you have a chance to shoot on goal. We work on these moments in training so that we can score from different positions in a match.
Not long ago, we played in the Ukrainian league in rather cold weather, and now we have moved to a much warmer climate. It's very nice to wake up to the sunshine. You get up with a smile and meet the new day in a good mood. It's nice to work in such conditions, on good fields. That is why we are preparing in Spain. It is very important for the players and coaches. Here are ideal conditions for practising the necessary exercises that will help us show our best in the next matches.
And we are facing a very difficult match. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a good team. The semi-final consists of one match, in which anything can happen. It doesn't matter how they performed in their group. Yes, not very well, but this team deserves praise. We will prepare with all seriousness, because reaching the Euros is our big dream. We want to please our fans," said Valeriy Bondar.
