Former Ukraine and Kryvbas player Oleksandr Palianytsia told what Kryvyi Rih lacked in the second leg of the Europa League qualifying match with Victoria from the Czech Republic, in which they lost 0-1 and will continue to play in the Conference League:
"It seems that this season Kryvyi Rih are losing confidence in their abilities with each match. Although in the last UPL championship, this was one of their virtues, which helped them to prevail at the end of the matches. At the moment, such a willingness to play through the motions is not observed in the actions of Yuriy Vernydub's wards. And the only stability can be traced to the fact that Kryvbas plays worse in the second half, both in European competitions and in the UPL.
Unfortunately, we have to state that yesterday Kryvbas had no chance to escape relegation from the Europa League. Kryvyi Rih practically did not threaten the home team's possession, especially after the break. The fresh players who came on as substitutes did not improve the game either.
It's a shame, because Ukrainian fans had high hopes for Kryvbas' return to the international arena, but it did not live up to expectations.
What are the chances of Kryvbas in a less prestigious tournament, the Conference League, against Spanish Betis? To begin with, we must win Veres on Sunday in a calendar match of the UPL championship. Perhaps then Yuriy Vernydub's team will regain confidence and they will try to challenge the Spanish club, which in my opinion is stronger than Victoria," Palianytsia said.