The legend of Dynamo, Oleksandr Aliyev, shared his thoughts on Ukraine’s national team match against Albania (2:1) in the final round of the Nations League.
Oleksandr Aliyev— Oleksandr, how did you find the match?
— What can I say — well done. The most important thing is that we achieved a positive result and won. I think everyone is satisfied: both our country and the footballers. Our team gave us positive emotions.
— How do you feel about the performance of the Ukrainian national team, did you enjoy the football?
— Yesterday, Artem and I had a stream, so I watched the match with one eye. We didn’t have a task to display beautiful football; we needed to get a result, and we did that. We took second place and will move on.
— In the playoff matches, we might face Belgium, Hungary, Scotland, or Serbia. Who would you like to see as an opponent?
— If we want to move forward and achieve great success, it doesn’t matter who we have to play against. Now all teams know how to play football. We need to go out, win, and move on.
But if looking from a fan's perspective, I would like to see our game against the Belgians. But let’s face an opponent we can overcome.
— Fans recognized Zinchenko as the "Man of the Match", who would you give the award to?
— I ask you, don’t tell me about him. I liked our entire team. They did well to achieve a positive result and pleased our country. I never highlight anyone, only the team as a whole.
— I watched your stream with Milevsky, and you mentioned that you "don't understand this football player — Zinchenko." What did you mean?
— (Laughs.) To be honest — he is completely unclear to me. This is my personal opinion, and I won’t explain it. Yesterday I criticized him, and he did well — he scored. So, I’ll keep criticizing him every game — let him score, and the national team achieves positive results.
— Do you see another Aliyev in Ukraine, a midfielder who resembles you — who can score from afar and deliver a perfect pass?
— At the moment, I can’t name anyone like that. I really like Sudakov, Malinovskyi, Shaparenko, Buialskyi. They are good footballers who aren’t afraid to take the initiative. The most important thing is that they progress and injuries avoid them.
— What’s your opinion: have Sudakov and Shaparenko already outgrown the level of the UPL, are they ready to move to a European league?
— I don’t know. In this situation, the most important thing is the desire of the footballers themselves. If they want to move to Europe, then clubs can negotiate and carry out the transfer. And if they don’t want to, they will continue to play in the Ukrainian league. This is their personal opinion and decision. We will see how it goes. It’s not for me to advise them.
— Do you currently have a favorite Ukrainian footballer?
— Remember — I don’t enjoy any Ukrainian footballer, and I never have. I love beautiful football: when beautiful passes are made and there is thinking on the football field. This is what gives me joy.
— There was a lot of criticism of Rebrov from the fans. What’s your opinion: should Sergey Stanislavovych remain at the helm of the national team for the World Cup qualifiers?
— The Ukrainian national team took second place in the Nations League group and advanced to the playoff matches. So why remove someone? Currently, we have a coach who is doing his job. We have a president of UAF and various committees that decide whom to appoint and whom to remove. Let them deal with this. My opinion is — while Rebrov is coping, and God willing, let him continue coping.
— I recorded an interview with Milevsky before you, and he said that you predicted all the matches in the betting. Can you elaborate on what miracle you performed?
— Before the stream, we bet on the Ukrainian national team. I immediately said there would be a total of more than 2.5 goals. Then we bet on three matches, where I said there would be more than 1.5 goals. I got everything right! As they say: Everything goes into Tyoma’s piggy bank.
— So how much did you win?
— Honestly, I don’t know, I haven't checked with Tyoma yet. I can say that we charged $200 on the Ukraine match, total more than 2.5, and placed $100 on the express for other matches (total more than 1.5). And everything came through. The chicken pecks the grain. When I bet alone, nothing works, but when I said it with Artem, everything matched up. It happens (laughs).
Andriy Piskun
