Former Ukraine midfielder Yurii Shelepnytskyi shared his impressions of the Euro 2024 play-off final match between Ukraine and Iceland (2-1), which took place yesterday in Wroclaw.
Yuriy Shelepnytsky- "We won through nerves, through pain, sweat and blood," said Yurii Hryhorovych. " This is the second match in a row we have played such a match, and for the fans it is valid football. As for me, it would have been better if we had scored from the start, calmly controlled the ball and confidently brought the game to a logical conclusion. However, this is an ideal scenario... On the other hand, such a story once again proved that the Ukrainian national team has character, that our players never give up and do not start to demonstrate a hit-and-run game, but try to play quality football and create chances.
- Did you expect the confrontation with Iceland to be so difficult?
- Yes, but we create more problems for ourselves than the opponent. I think we were even a bit lucky. In defence, our team often made gross mistakes. In Rebrov's place, I would have figuratively torn off Zabarny's ear for the cut he made in the second half near his penalty area. It's a good thing the Icelander didn't score then...
Of course, the result put a lot of pressure on our team, everything was based on emotions - literally every pass, every movement. Well done to the guys who pinned the opponent in their half of the field in the second half. Not all teams can fight back successfully in such a situation. Iceland ended up making two mistakes.
- Compared to the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serhii Rebrov made three substitutions in the starting line-up. And if there were fewer questions before Malinowski's appearance, were you surprised by the exit of Yaremchuk and Tsygankov?
- It's hard for us to judge whether Tsygankov was ready for the match against Iceland or not. Everything was decided by Serhii Rebrov, who saw Viktor, assessed his condition, asked Viktor about his ability to play, received an answer and made a decision. According to the result, the coach was right! There was a certain risk, because in the first half we rarely noticed Tsygankov on the field. However, in the second half, Viktor made the difference, did what he does very well - this pass and the shot on target is his speciality!
As for Yaremchuk, it was he who managed to get the team going in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. On these emotions, Roman came out against Iceland, and could have scored in the first minutes of the game. Yes, not everyone may like his football, but he does a lot of grunt work and tries to sharpen things up. Compared to Dovbyk, who was invisible for almost the entire match against the Bosnians, Yaremchuk is a noticeable and useful performer.
- Iceland scored their goal very simply, just like in their previous match against Israel... What was the mistake of the Ukrainian defence?
- Albert Gudmundsson is Genoa's leading forward, scoring a lot in Serie A. He always delivers a quality finish, he is not afraid to take responsibility. By the way, I can't agree that this goal was so simple - Gudmundsson prepared the shot perfectly, made Malinowski make a mistake, and shook Brazko - it's a skill. Moreover, it was this Icelander who could have punished Zabarnyi in the second half, as I have already mentioned... Then everything could have gone completely differently to our scenario.
- How successful were the substitutions made by Rebrov?
- They are predictable. The game needed to be freshened up. The substitutions of Yaremchuk, Malinowski and Tsygankov are quite logical. It was noticeable that Yaremchuk was running, that Tsygankov's condition was already failing... Dovbyk didn't show anything outstanding, but he distracted the Icelanders, which allowed Mudryk to score. And Zinchenko gave emotion - he charged the team quite powerfully.
- Did Mudryk score because he played outside the box? As did Tsygankov, by the way...
- I would like to mention Sudakov's pass to Mudryk. It was just a candy! Sudakov is a bright head! And, of course, Mikhail's unconventional move, whose shot was not strong, but unexpected and accurate - like in billiards. As for Tsygankov's goal, it was a good team effort on the counter-attack, when it was possible to pass in the centre of the penalty area or finish it himself, which is what Viktor did. On the contrary, it was a stereotypical situation when a player took advantage of a free zone. I'd like to speak separately about Mudryk's performance - it again left a double impression, we again saw something different from what we expected. I think we should have played Zubkov instead of Mudryk.
- Didn't the Icelandic national team play their best football?
- They played in a 4-4-2 formation - old-school football, old school. But they have a choice, so they work from there. The Icelanders are well-trained players, but they clearly lack class. They squeezed out everything they could against both Israel and Ukraine. Iceland could have achieved more with set pieces - corners and free kicks - but it's great that our team minimised this opportunity for the opposition. To put it more simply, in fact, only we ourselves could bring trouble to ourselves - in the form of all sorts of cuts and passes along the field, when the opponent lacked some centimetres to intercept the ball and reach Lunin's goal...
- What does the national team of Ukraine need to work on in order to successfully perform at Euro 2024?
- I compared the game of our national team in autumn and spring. So, I liked the autumn version more. I don't know, maybe the summer version of the national team of Ukraine will be better than both of these, which I mentioned. Now the poor condition of more than half of the Ukrainian teams was very noticeable. And while the situation with Tsygankov and Zinchenko's recovery from injuries, with Mudryk, Malinowski and Yaremchuk's inadequate playing practice, is quite understandable, the decline in the play of Zabarnyi and Mykolenko was an unpleasant fact.
In the summer, before Euro 2024, our national teams will spend more time together. I hope Serhii Rebrov will bring his subordinates to a common, good level in all respects. The main thing is to avoid injuries... Leading national teams in tournaments such as the European and World Championships are gaining form and momentum gradually in order to give their best and take the trophy in decisive matches. For the Ukrainian national team, I think it's good that they have made it to the Euros. It is also a great joy, a very positive emotion for our entire country, which is at war, for our soldiers!
Oleg Semenchenko
