Ukraine's Olympic soccer team defeated Morocco 2-1 in a minority at the 2024 Games.
Maxim Khlan. Photo: UAF press service"The Blue and Yellows took the lead in the 22nd minute, but in the middle of the second half Volodymyr Salyuk violated the rules, which resulted in a penalty kick against Ukraine, and the player was subsequently sent off. However, even in the minority, the Ukrainian team managed to win the match.
After the match, the national team winger Maksym Khlan spoke about the team's mood, commented on the course of the game and shared his emotions after the second consecutive missed penalty kick at the 2024 Olympics.
"I have repeatedly emphasized our Ukrainian spirit, that our nation pushes us forward. And we have to show only this style and character of football. And we don't care who plays against us, what their names are - we are defending our family and country. This is the most important thing for us.
Is this Ukraine's first victory at the Olympics? I'm overwhelmed with happiness, but we need to put aside our "hot" thoughts and think about Argentina. We are professionals and cannot afford any kind of joy effect. The next match is in two days, and we need to concentrate, no matter how hard it is. I want to emphasize: this is all for our country. As long as missiles are flying and the war is going on, we cannot complain that it is hard. We are preparing for the next game and only want to win.
To be honest, in the first half we played only as the first team, imposing our game. But as the game progressed, we realized that we needed to step back somewhere. It was also the right tactic. Unfortunately, the red card shook us, but we didn't stop, we kept going until the end and took advantage of [this moment].
Was it a penalty kick? It's some kind of curse. But, as you can see, it doesn't get any better. Sometimes we need someone to bite us in the ass to make us run. So it happens - it's good that it happened," Hlan said on SuspilneSport.
