Former forward Maxim Feshchuk shared his impressions of the first playoff match of the Nations League for the right to compete in Division "A" Ukraine — Belgium (3:1).
Maxim Feshchuk— The match was divided into "before" and "after" the triple substitution in the second half. How do you rate the team\'s performance in these two periods? What do you think was the key change for this comeback?
— Overall, it can indeed be said that the game was different "before" and "after." But even before that triple substitution, Ukraine, despite the score of 0:1, I liked at times. They played quite well, imposed their fight, and at the very beginning at 0:0 could have taken the lead.
I was a bit surprised by the starting lineup — but pleasantly surprised. Sudakov on the left seems to be a very cool decision by the head coach. Zinchenko played great, Konoplya started well. That is, the players who seemed to be not in optimal condition. Just like Shaparenko.
I am pleasantly surprised by how the team played. What Lunin was doing in goal, how high-quality his game was. Zabarnyi was again one of the leaders. I liked how the team looked. I didn’t like the injuries of Konoplya and Sych, but Zinchenko stepped up in that situation.
And the substitutions worked completely. The coach got it right, the game intensified. Ukraine played at quite a high pace, and the key factor was the first goal by Hutsuliak when Belgium, in my opinion, scored on themselves. They "cooked" the moment, and Hutsuliak pressed well and masterfully converted the moment. It’s a very gross mistake by the defender, but Ukraine deserved that moment with their game.
— What are your overall expectations for the second meeting?
— This is football chess. One can tactically withstand the pressure from the Belgians, score a goal on a counterattack.
Just look at the choice of forwards — Yaremchuk, Dovbik. And Vanat can be the optimal option when playing as a second striker from defense. Vladislav is a player of space, a forward who works hard along the opponent's defense line. It’s hard to predict.
