Alan Aussey, a graduate of Dynamo Kyiv school who now plays for Romanian side Cluj, shared his impressions of the Euro 2024 group stage match between Romania and Ukraine (3-0) in the 1st round.
Alan Aussey- Romania and Ukraine met the day before at the Euros. What can you say about our first opponent?
- Very skilled players, two players left my team - right back Vasile Mogos and center forward Daniel Birligia. In my opinion, they are very high-quality players who can perform very well at the Euros.
- Did the result of the match in Munich surprise you?
- We had the initiative for the first 20-25 minutes. There was a problem in the final third, but after the first goal, the Romanians believed in themselves, and ours could not recover.
- Can we say that in terms of psychology, Romania believed that they could get the maximum after the first goal?
- Romanian psychology is very strong. In the six months I've been here, I've seen how people are killing themselves for the result in the championship matches. Physically, they are well prepared. They could play another match in a day at this pace. I can't say that our team didn't want to win, but in this particular match, Romania had more zeal because they were playing as if it was the last time.
- Could the opponent have been underestimated?
- It seems to me that our team wanted to take the result with their skills. I am sure that this will not happen with the Slovaks.
- Didn't your teammates hound you after the match?
- They asked me if I liked the game (Smiles).
- What is your opinion of the head coach of the Romanian national team Edward Iordanescu?
- I don't know him that well. His team gave the result, emotions. His merit is that the team looked like a whole.
- Who among the players of the local championship can make a name for themselves in the tournament? Maybe one of your teammates?
- You saw the team yourself. In addition to those who play abroad, such as Dregushin, Man or Stanciu, of course, the players of the domestic championship are also quite interesting.
Steaua, for example, has winger Coman, who scored 18 goals in the league, plus our Dan Birligia. And in general, there are very good players there, this is the Euro, there are no weak ones.
- Do you keep in touch with the current national teams, who do you know?
- I wouldn't say that I'm in direct contact with anyone, but there are certain friendly relations when I know that I can write to a person and ask how they are doing and they will answer me.
- After this defeat, will Ukraine be able to improve its position at Euro 2024?
- It is difficult to recover from such defeats. I hope that the guys will be able to show a better game in the next two matches. Yesterday it was noticeable how the whole team was upset by this result. I want to wish them good luck and perform as well as possible.
- On June 30, your contract expires. What career options are you considering?
- Transfermarkt is somewhat mistaken. I'm staying in Cluj until winter.
- Have you adapted to Romania in six months?
- Yes, I like living in Cluj, it's a comfortable city to live in. I also feel good in the team.
- Are you ready to return to Ukraine if there is a good option?
- I have had several good options from Ukraine in recent years, but I decided to choose a different path.
Oleksandr Karpenko
