Legendary Ukrainian coach Vitaliy Kvartsyanyi shared his impressions of the match of the final play-off round of Euro-2024 Ukraine - Iceland (2:1), according to the result of which the Ukrainian national team reached the final part of the European Championship.
Vitaliy Kvartsyaniy- The psychological situation was already adapted after the game with Bosnia and Herzegovina. First, we were losing in Zenica, and then, at the end of the meeting, we scored two goals and won. So in functional terms, the Ukrainian national team was ready for the game with Iceland, and psychologically believed in victory. And I felt it too. And the fans felt that our national team simply could not fail to reach the final part of the European Championship. The very atmosphere seemed to foreshadow that the Ukrainians would score, and if not the other player would do it. That is, we still win. If not in game time, then in a penalty shootout.
- And as for the game itself? What do you think?
- As for the specifics of football itself - tactics and readiness of the Ukrainian national team, unlike the game with Bosnia and Herzegovina, where there was frantic pressure of the Balkan fans, constraining the actions of our guys, in the game with Iceland we already felt chemistry. In Wroclaw there was a spirit, which is very important for every coach. Confidence together with the ideas of the coaching staff headed by Sergei Rebrov, successful substitutions and the desire to turn the tide of the game - this does not just happen. Some may think that all of this is accidental. Not at all. Rebrov felt the players better.
Take at least Zinchenko. In the game with the Bosnians Zinchenko's game, frankly speaking, was not one of the best. But in the meeting with Iceland, the coach released him on the field, and Zinchenko skilfully adjusted the situation. He added spice through good passes, issuing two or three such passes into the cut-back.
As Igor Tsyganik said, this is not his place - Zinchenko should be put deeper. And Rebrov did. As the development of events showed, not in vain. Zinchenko is able to give a hidden or non-standard pass, when all his appearance shows the intention to pass to the left, but gives it to the right. That is a guy with cunning. And in the centre of the field, as you know, you can not be very cunning, because there the opponent sits on his foot. And if Zinchenko is on the space, on the last pass, it is a trump card for him. It worked.
So did Sudakov, who played logically in free passes. He has a great feel for the player offering himself. Immediately a pass is addressed to this, which dictates further actions. If Zinchenko has a short or medium pass, Sudakov gives a long, diagonal or cut pass - and this pass has its own logic.
- In contrast to the fight with the Bosnians, at the end of the game with the Icelanders, the coaching staff of our national team did not use two strikers, but replaced Roman Yaremchuk with Artem Dovbik.
- This personnel change played a role. Fresh Dovbik came on the pitch in the 72nd minute, although it should be noted that Yaremchuk did not drop out of the game. But it probably should have been done to change the attitude of the Icelandic defenders in terms of adapting to Yaremchuk. They covered him, held him, pushed him, did not let him get to the goal.
Although both of our players are ram-type strikers with the ability to finish attacks, Dovbik has a slightly different style of play than his colleague. However, both of them were excellent, and Rebrov had the opportunity to choose according to the situation. So the mentioned substitution eventually played its role.
- How do you evaluate the game of Mikhail Mudryk, who can already be called a key player of the core of our national team?
- Despite some unjustified mistakes while receiving the ball, Mudryk played great, using his naturally crazy starting speed and sometimes unconventional finishing. When Sudakov gave him a goal-kick pass under his right foot, Mikhail shot straight away. Probably, at that moment Mudryk thought: "Give me a pass and I'll shoot". And it worked.
- Is Ukraine's victory in this difficult duel with the Icelanders for a ticket to Euro 2024 natural?
- Of course. It was obvious from everything that our national team is stronger than Iceland. I have noticed such a tendency: the more our national team plays, the better it does. It seems to me that the winner of the final play-off match of Euro-2024 qualification Ukraine - Iceland is not accidental. Our national team deservedly made it to the European Championship.
