Forward of «Oleksandriya» Oleksandr Filipov, who played for «Saint-Truiden», commented on the Belgian national team, which became an opponent of Ukraine in the Nations League.
Oleksandr Filipov— Oleksandr, as a former player of the Belgian team «Saint-Truiden», how do you comment on the results of the Nations League draw: the Ukrainian national team will have to play against Belgium in the playoff matches for promotion to Division A.
— Of course, according to the draw results, the opponent our team got is not an easy one. Everyone understands that the Belgian national team is a top team, although now it is going through a bit of rejuvenation. The Belgians currently do not have the strong players they had before. But anyway, Belgium is probably the toughest opponent out of those we could get. But I believe in our national team. I believe that our players understand who they will have to play against. I think they will give all their strength to achieve a positive result.
— What do you highlight as special in the current Belgian national team? Does it differ from the team that was called the "Golden Generation"?
— I can't highlight anything special in this national team. The Belgian national team no longer has that generation of players who played in top European teams. This is not the Belgium that true stars played for. Now the Belgians have a younger team that is undergoing a rebuild. However, Belgium has good young players in its squad who play for their national team. And this means that they cannot be of a weak level by default. I think it will be difficult, but Ukraine should cope. Belgium should be a match for our team.
— Have you faced anyone from the current Belgian national team on the field?
— Yes, I have. Currently, two young players are playing for the Belgian national team. This is 20-year-old defender Matte Smets from «Genk». He moved to «Genk» from «Saint-Truiden» in 2024. Matte is young but already a quite experienced player who had two very good seasons at «Saint-Truiden». As a result, he got promoted and is now playing for the Belgian national team. And before I went on loan to «Riga» from «Saint-Truiden», they invited defender Amen Al-Dakhil. He has been playing for «Stuttgart» since 2024 and is also playing for the Belgian national team. Smets and Al-Dakhil are both young players, but their class was immediately evident. Both players have a good first pass during the development of attacks. They are also very reliable and composed in defense. So Smets and Al-Dakhil, with whom I have faced, are quite good-level football players.
— What do you think about Ukraine's victory over Albania?
— I think the players themselves understand that the game against the Albanian national team was tough. Of course, like everyone, I liked the first half. The guys did well in fully analyzing the opponent. They played aggressively, scored two good goals. Our players acted very well with the ball and were also able to reorganize on the field without the ball. In the second half, there was more pressure from Albania because they needed to catch up. Somewhere not everything was working for our national team. But the main thing is that a victory was achieved. It was such an emotional game. The main thing is that we won this meeting. Of course, there is much to work on. Therefore, I think the coaching staff will analyze all the moments to avoid mistakes in the future.
— Can you say something about the performance of your teammate Ivan Kalyuzhny for the Ukrainian national team?
— Vanya is doing great! His work at training in the club proves his professional suitability and hones his skills. The matches he plays for the national team show his level. He is doing great! I wish him only luck and to progress. I hope he will continue to be called up to the national team and play. That is the most important thing!
