Sergey Rebrov: «With such a marriage, it is very difficult to win»

The head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Sergey Rebrov, summarized the results of the match of the 5th round of the Nations League 2024/25 against the national team of Georgia (1:1), which took place today in Batumi.

- Are you upset about the result or the game?

- Both about the game and the score. We had a chance to win, but with such a marriage, it is very difficult to achieve that. I have no questions about the players' dedication, but in a situation where we lost so many balls, failed to complete so many attacks, with such a team and such support from the stands, it is very difficult to win.

- Why did this happen?

- It's hard to say. First of all, the psychological burden played a role. When we scored a quick goal and took the lead, the players probably subconsciously tried to keep this result, as it was very important for us. We play all our matches away. And today our opponents had very strong support from the stands, and it was precisely because of that that they gained confidence, aimed to equalize the score, and achieved it.

- Why did you choose Brazhko and Zubkov for the starting lineup?

- Because we monitor the training process, the workload that the players receive, and micro-injuries. Based on this, we make decisions. We currently have two matches, and there will definitely be substitutions for the game against Albania.

- Was playing on counterattacks part of the game plan?

- We aimed to use counterattacks because I believe we are strong in this component. On the other hand, we did not tell the team that they needed to fall back. I repeat, the fact that we quickly took the lead played a role; the players tried to maintain it.

Text transcript — Dynamo.kiev.ua, mandatory hyperlink when using the material!