The head coach of the national team of Ukraine, Sergey Rebrov, summarized the match of the final, 6th round of the group stage of the Nations League 2024/25 against the national team of Albania (2:1), which took place last Tuesday in Tirana.
Sergey Rebrov— The main thing today was to win. It is very difficult to play on the third day after the previous match. I see the condition of the players, I see their recovery. Especially, this concerns the representatives of Dynamo and Shakhtar, who are in a very tough state, having many matches and travels. All this led to the fact that before today’s match, we had many micro-injuries.
Yes, today there were two different halves, but I repeat, the result today was very important.
— Did the second goal allow the team to feel relief?
— I think the team felt relief even after the first goal. But the second goal, of course, mattered. We gained confidence.
As for the second half, no one told the team to “sit back” by their goal. But the national team of Albania, with fresh players coming on as substitutes, increased the intensity of their actions and tried to press us. It was difficult. Moreover, as in the match against Georgia, there were a lot of mistakes and ball losses on our part.
— Could the reason for the team’s decline in the second half be the high intensity of the Ukrainian championship?
— We should not only talk about the Ukrainian championship here. But, I repeat, our leading teams, which delegate many footballers to the national team, are currently operating under a very tough schedule. I am grateful to all the guys for giving their all on the field, for giving their all for the victory.
— How would you assess the team’s performance in this Nations League overall? There has been quite a bit of criticism towards the national team...
— Criticism will always be present. Even if we are playing in the final of the European Championship. It is important to work, to give all our strength as players and coaching staff. And then the result will come. I have often said that the Nations League is an important tournament through which we can qualify for the World Cup. I am very grateful to all the footballers we have called up to the national team. Even if someone did not get playing time, we saw these guys in the training process, which is very important in preparation for our matches in the World Cup qualifying cycle.
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