Former Dnipro defender Serhiy Matyukhin recalled his performances for the Ukraine national team.
Serhiy Matyukhin— Was the call-up to the national team the most significant event for you?
— Yes. It happened in 2002 when the Ukraine national team was led by Leonid Buriak. When I found out about the call-up, it was a shock for me! You see, I am just a simple guy from a village with a population of 900 people, and suddenly, the national team. For about a day I couldn't come to my senses, I didn't understand what had happened. It was very honorable for me.
— How did you learn about your call-up?
— We were given a couple of days off at Dnipro, and I went to my wife in Illichivsk. Someone from the club called and said that I had been called up to the national team. I remember that Mykola Medina from Dnipro was also called up, and we lived in the same room in Belfast (for the qualifying matches of Euro-2004 against Greece in Kyiv and Northern Ireland in Belfast, apart from Medina and Matyukhin, Hennadiy Moroz and Oleg Venglinsky were also called up, — ed. note).
— However, your debut for the national team took place under Oleg Blokhin?
— In a friendly match against Macedonia. I remember that I came on the field right after halftime instead of Serhiy Symonenko. At that time we were already losing 1:0. We didn't concede any more goals, but we didn't manage to score either. That's how the game ended.
— That match was memorable because Andriy Shevchenko left the field without finishing the first half. Do you remember what happened?
— He had his nose broken (an examination at a Milan hospital diagnosed it as an injury to the upper jaw, — ed. note).
— Did he take off his shirt when leaving the field?
— I think so. Although I won't assert that. To be honest, I don't remember (after the injury, Shevchenko took off his shirt, went to the locker room, and did not return to the field, — ed. note).
— Why did the national team fail in the first friendly matches under Blokhin?
— It's hard for me to judge. Probably, Oleg Volodymyrovich was searching. He was getting acquainted with the players, trying to understand each of our potentials to choose the best squad (in none of the six friendly matches held before the start of the qualifying cycle did Oleg Blokhin's team achieve victory, scoring only two goals, — ed. note).
— Did the players continue to believe in him during this time?
— I was always impressed by Blokhin's charisma. He said something, and I took it all in. Oleg Volodymyrovich was confident in himself and could persuade others. Blokhin immediately made it clear to all of us that he was consciously aiming the team at achieving the maximum result. Do you remember how at his first press conference he stated that he would lead the Ukraine national team out of the group at the 2006 World Cup in first place?
— But after such statements, everyone just laughed.
— I don't know about others — maybe someone laughed at Blokhin's Napoleonic plans to lead Ukraine out of the group in the 2006 World Cup in first place, but not me. After all, Blokhin later proved that these were not just words. I believe that it was Blokhin who became the main architect of the team's overall success in the qualifying cycle.
— What do you remember Blokhin as a coach?
— There was nothing extraordinary about him. Training was mostly focused on practical sessions. Before training, there was always theory — 10-15 minutes. We were explained what we would do and why. On the field, the training sessions were usually conducted by Andriy Bal and Oleg Kuznetsov, who were closer to us, the players. Bal was a pleasant, kind person. He and Andriy Voronin were on familiar terms. They joked a lot, teased us. Semen Iosifovych Altman treated us in a mentoring way. He and Blokhin could stop the practice, move someone, correct some tactical moments.
Oleksandr Petrov
