Former Ukraine striker Andriy Vorobey commented on the Ukraine-Georgia match of the 3rd round of the Nations League, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Ukrainians.
Andriy Vorobey (photo: instagram.com)- Finally, everyone waited for the victory! What do you think of the national team's performance?
- The main thing is that there is a result with a quality game. It is better than in previous matches. We saw the players' desire to win. And the good news is that there was no disastrous first half, as before, when a weak performance before the break decided the final result. As a former striker, I was pleased to see that they were hitting the goal, playing forward, and not rolling the ball across the field.
- What were the main trump cards of the national team's game in the victory?
- The most important thing is that we deprived the Georgian attacking group of space, did not allow them to scatter. And an important fact is the poor condition of the field. For the opponent's technical players, the field was sticky, they were constantly falling, slipping, thereby losing possession of the ball. Speed and technique have always been the Georgians' main trump card. When our players lost the ball, especially in the other half of the field, they immediately entered the tackle, preventing the opponent's attacks from developing. This is how the goal was scored. Selection, attack and Mudryk's final shot. And if it was not possible to immediately suppress the counterattack, then we had to disrupt the attacks by fouls, grabbing the shirts of those who attacked. And it was justified to prevent a quick penetration of our goal.
- In this game, all the attention was focused on the performance of the debutant Kalyuzhnyi, as well as Hutsulyak, who made his first appearance in the lineup.
- In tournaments such as the Nations League, this is what we need to do, giving players who play in the UPL a chance to prove themselves. In addition to Kalyuzhnyi and Hutsulyak, you can call up more new players, see how they adapt and whether they are ready to play at this level. It's time to replace veterans with youngsters, to refresh the squad. We need power, movement on the field, and this is an inevitable process when there is a change of generations. Today, the newcomers proved and justified the trust placed in them. I think Kalyuzhnyi's debut was a success, he was useful in the selection, supported the attack well, and felt confident on the field. Hutsulyak was also effective, working both in defense and managing to accelerate attacks on his flank. There is a promising Nazarenko, who came on as a substitute; he had little time, but he still has a lot ahead of him.
- A tough match, a tough victory against a good Georgian team. Wasn't it?
- Yes, the opponent was worthy. No wonder Georgia reached the European Championships, where they showed interesting football. They have a balanced team, a competent coach, who proved that the management was not in vain to invite a foreign specialist. Georgians have always been talented, but there was no balance in the game. Now Sanyol has created a strong team from the middle team, the players understand all his ideas and implement them on the field.
- In two days, the national team will have an equally difficult match against the Czech Republic.
- The main thing now is to recover from such a tough game. We spent a lot of energy and emotions, but it's always nice to start the next match when there is a victory, against which you can recover faster. Everything is still ahead, and we need to remember the last game against the Czechs.
Sergiy Shebek
