Alexander Sopko: 'Albania is a simple team. And we didn't let them show their trump cards'", '

— When we were under pressure—there was nowhere to go, we maximized our mobilization, — noted Sopko, − The Ukrainian national team demonstrated perhaps not its best game in Tirana, but the attitude and teamwork were at a high level, and we solved our issue as if by order. It was the same in the qualifiers for Euro 2024. Everyone would have preferred an easier path, but again we show that dedication is our option.

Comparing this match with the first against Albania, the game was diametrically opposed. Both in quality, and we played very well in the first half. That is, we corrected our mistakes, introduced new players into the starting lineup, and made the right personnel decisions.

— Did the Ukrainian national team change tactics?

— This scheme is not new. Just Zinchenko and Kalujny appeared in the lineup from the first minutes, which had a positive effect. Zinchenko not only scored but also brought tactical literacy, and while he had strength, he influenced the team\'s play very well.

As for Kalujny, his style of play reminded me of my generation, when we played simply, without fear, and took on challenges at the first opportunity. Now players are more cunning and more cowardly. But Kalujny will fight until the end. Yes, he might make mistakes in passing, but he will never lower the bar for fighting. And this is an example for other players on the Ukrainian national team. It was noticeable how Kalujny started the tackle, began to go into the clash, and his teammates rushed into this vortex after him. This is how our fighting chain was built, and there was a successful tackle of the ball.

— Who else can be noted in the Ukrainian national team?

— Kalujny and Zabarny with their nimble actions gave freedom to our midfielders. The whole team can be noted, but the rest should strive to follow these players. Of course, having only two such players like Kalujny and Zabarny is not enough...

It was confirmed that Mudrik is not capable of playing two matches in a row at the same level. Mikhail dropped out of the game, and this noticeably affected our team\'s attack in the match against Albania. I've already mentioned Zinchenko—while he had freshness, everything was fine, and his academic, calm play was beneficial to us, but when he physically dropped out, failures began. I would note that Mudrik and Zinchenko should have been substituted earlier.

— Not everyone expected to see Hutsulyak and Yaremchuk in the starting lineup...

— Yaremchuk's appearance was a must. After all, he scored. But subsequently, Roman held the ball too long and made wrong decisions. If he had been in better shape, he would have brought much more benefit to the attack of the Ukrainian national team.

Hutsulyak played decently. He held the ball well, acted calmly, and was quite sharp in attack. The other matter is that he cannot maintain the pace of such matches until the end, and he still lacks it at the 90th minute. I hope this can be corrected over time.

— Our national team conceded a penalty after Trubin's foul. What is his share of guilt in this episode?

— The foul was caused by a series of team errors. And Trubin simply did not see the opponent and tried to play the ball. The task of the Albanian forward was to reach the ball first and fall. The referee always takes the attacking side in such a case...

— After the match on a heavy field in Batumi, there were warnings that our footballers would have heavy legs and, because of that, a high error rate in the match against Albania.

— The errors were not related to fatigue. These are simply wrong decisions. We easily lost the ball, as did Mudrik and Shaparenko. It was necessary to act more simply. Just as Kalujny did. If other players rid themselves of unnecessary movements, it would only benefit the Ukrainian national team.

— It seemed that the Albanian team lost concentration from the first minutes and could not recover until halftime.

— Albania is a simple team. Its trump cards are not skill and teamwork, but motivation and fighting spirit, moreover, more on emotions. They have no leaders capable of leading others. And it was precisely due to emotional fighting and super motivation that the Albanians defeated the Ukrainian national team in the first match. In Tirana, we did not allow them to show their trump cards. The Ukrainian national team moved better, held the ball better. The opponent gave us the initiative and played nervously, which we took advantage of with a certain amount of luck.

When a team receives such a painful blow as Albania did, it is hard to come back. What is unpleasant is that the Ukrainians then help the opponent return to the game, acting without aggression, without proper fighting. We yield the initiative and the opponent gradually recovers. The Ukrainian national team still does not have a certain instinct of when to finish off the opponent. We decided to maintain the result, in the second half we stopped pressing high, thinking only about counterattacks. There was certainly risk. After the penalty, the Albanians felt like weights were lifted from their legs.

By the way, I believe that before halftime, the referee missed an 11-meter penalty to Albania after Mudrik was blatantly brought down in the penalty area of the home team. I don’t know why the referee decided not to punish the Albanians...

— The Ukrainian national team now awaits the Nations League playoffs. What can be improved in our team\'s game?

— Before the match with Albania, I was confident that our team would win. Any chain of failures is eventually broken. But luck must be sought. You have to do your job and change your self-assessment. I hope that after this victory, Sergey Rebrov has finally transformed from a club coach into a national team coach, and our footballers have finally come down to earth, forgetting their seemingly star status. It is important when your team begins to understand that hard work is necessary even in matches against such opponents as Albania, Georgia, and the Czech Republic. This is what yields results.

Oleg Semenenko