Famous Ukrainian coach Oleh Fedorchuk shared his impressions of the Ukraine vs Iceland play-off final of the Euro 2024 qualifying round (2-1).
Oleg Fedorchuk- The long bench was crucial. The break between the head-to-head matches was short, and given the time for travel, the teams that could afford to rotate had an advantage. And although it is said that the winning line-up does not change, our manager made three substitutions: Roman Yaremchuk and Ruslan Malinowski came off the bench against the Bosnians, and Viktor Tsygankov did not play at all due to injury. And he was right. Tsygankov levelled the score at a key moment, while Yaremchuk manoeuvred effectively, keeping the Icelandic defence on its toes. Malinowski performed worse than expected, sometimes failing to keep up in the selection, as in the episode with the missed goal, but he did not fall out of the ensemble. Oleksandr Zinchenko, who replaced Ruslan at the end of the match, had enough strength to maintain the high pace that our team offered the Scandinavians. Believe me, it's great when a coach has such a choice.
- What have Serhii Rebrov's wards added compared to the match with the Bosnians?
- In speed. By the way, this helped Viktor Tsygankov and Mykhailo Mudryk to get free from the guard and score goals.
- But the tactical scheme did not change.
- Thus, Serhii Rebrov decided not to take any risks, opting for a 4-1-4-1. Although I noticed some home-made preparations. When our team controlled the ball for a long time, they switched to a 3-5-2 formation and, interestingly, Volodymyr Brazhko played as the third central defender.
- However, it was striking that, despite their activity on the flanks, Vitaliy Mykolenko and Yukhym Konoplya did not load Yaremchuk, who was put forward at the forefront of the attack, with targeted passes.
- In the final stages, for some reason, they narrowed the offensive front and the sharpness disappeared. I am convinced that Serhii Rebrov will definitely draw their attention to the fact that they need to act more widely. Then it would be easier for Heorhii Sudakov to use his favourite split passes.
- Who would you single out among the winners in yesterday's match?
- The aforementioned Sudakov, Mykhailo Mudryk, who worked hard for the team, and Andriy Lunin, who helped out several times.
- You have already mentioned one of our "trump cards" - a long bench, but what else did the Ukrainians have an advantage in?
- International experience, because most of our guys have made a name for themselves at the club level. And we also have leaders in each line. And this is despite the fact that our national team is quite young in age and I would not be surprised if it opens the final part of the European Football Forum in Germany.
