Famous Ukrainian journalist Igor Linnik commented on the victory of the Ukrainian national team over the Belgian national team (3:1) in the first playoff match of the Nations League for the right to compete in Division "A" of this tournament, which took place yesterday in Murcia.
Igor Linnik“The Ukrainian national football team played quite confidently, and precisely because of this confidence — somewhat unexpectedly, defeated Belgium in the Nations League playoffs with a score of 3:1. And this despite the fact that our team conceded the first goal...
I would not want to overestimate the significance of this victory, as it still needs to be defended in the return match in three days on the opponent's field, but overall it is worth noting the organization of the game of Sergei Rebrov’s team.
First of all, the head coach was absolutely right in achieving from the UAF and UPL the postponement of half of the matches of the recent round of the Ukrainian championship. Thanks to this, our footballers were able to maintain more freshness by the start of the last quarter of the match, in which all key events occurred, and realize this planned advantage.
The second aspect is the excellent management of the game process by our coaching staff. Despite having to make two forced substitutions — both in one position, the right defender! — the players on the field enhanced the team's performance. It's not just that two of the three goals were scored by fresh players, but that throughout the game the overall pattern of the Ukrainian national team was maintained and controlled. Despite everything!
Undoubtedly, many will note the willpower and fighting spirit of Rebrov's team. Yes, all this was also at a high level. But I would still place the level of preparedness of our entire team — functional and tactical — at the forefront.
In the return match on Sunday, all this accumulated and acquired advantage will already be neutralized by the energy expended on Thursday, losses in the lineup, and the opponent. Only then will the time come for comprehensive conclusions.
But this 3:1 — undoubtedly, a most pleasant surprise. Thanks to everyone involved, including in our clubs, for this surprise!" — wrote Linnik on his Facebook page.
