On Friday, October 11, the Ukrainian national team defeated Georgia with the score 1:0 in the match of the 3rd round of the 2024/25 Nations League. Here is the post-match press conference of the head coach of the Ukrainian national team Serhiy Rebrov.
Sergei Rebrov. Photo — UAF- Tell me frankly, do you feel better after this victory?
- I don't know. I am always focused on preparation and the game and do not get distracted by otherworldly factors. It was the same today and during the previous matches.
- How satisfied are you with the game of the debutants of the Ukrainian national team?
- I think everyone saw that the guys gave their best and, most importantly, got the result, which is very important for us.
- What are the reasons why today the Ukraine national team played with energy, which we did not see in the previous two matches?
- I do not know. Maybe you didn`t see it, but I did. Especially in the second half of the match against the Czech Republic. We had 20 shots on goal, but, unfortunately, we lost. We lost because we conceded a lot. It's hard to win when you concede three goals.
So I am not surprised by what you saw. I saw the desire of the guys before the match. The most important thing for us was to achieve a winning result, it was in the first place. I am grateful to the players not only for their dedication, but also for understanding the game and their role on the field.
- Was there any approach to Kvaratskhelia personally?
- It is not only about him. There are very fast, technical attacking players in the Georgian national team, so we tried to make them get the ball as little as possible when facing our goal. We tried to play tightly with the opponents and, as you saw, in the second half Kvaratskhelia went deeper, went to the flanks - it made our task easier, because the individual qualities of this player are very high.
- What was the dispute between you and your opponents in the second half?
- What are you looking for some disputes? Well, we shouted a little at each other - it`s not a problem. Everyone was worried about the result. Including me.
- What do you think of Kalyuzhny's play today?
- I've known him for a long time, since I worked at Dynamo. Ivan was in the second lineup then. So I know his qualities. When Kalyuzhny takes the field, he forgets about everything. Today he worked very well for the team, he took a lot of balls, which is important. Kalyuzhny had 60% of the team's rebounds. So I think that he deserved this call-up to the national team. I am sure that this player will not dwell on what he did today.
- How does Stepanenko feel?
- I am grateful to Taras, he is a professional and he was preparing hard for this match, but unfortunately, he had an injury that required more time to recover. We could not use him today, but I am sure he will be ready for the match against Czech Republic. We are counting on him.
Alexander POPOV
