Former midfielder of "Dynamo" and one of the experienced Ukrainian coaches Volodymyr Sharan closely followed the twists and turns of the playoff match of the Nations League, in which the Ukrainian team defeated Belgium 3:1 and shared his impressions of the game and the result.
Volodymyr Sharan— The impressions of the match are, of course, positive. Especially from the second half, in which Ukraine usually improves its game. It has happened more than once that while losing, we have emerged with honor in many situations. In the match against the Belgians, I was pleased with the result itself, and, in particular, the pace after the substitutions.
The only thing that surprised me was the starting lineup of our team. First of all, the position of Sudakov. On the left flank, he got lost because it’s not his place. Sudakov is a central midfield player, where he performs a considerable amount of work. As for the first half, there was not what I would have liked to see. We started the match well — Yaremchuk should have scored. However, then there were practically no moments, and our team ceded the initiative to the Belgians.
Our players met the opponent in the second zone, and everything was compact, in principle. However, the game still felt like being on a swing. After conceding a goal, the coaching staff of the Ukrainian team realized that something needed to change. And it’s good that this happened. The correct substitutions were made, after which Sudakov started to play in his usual position, and as I already said, the pace was increased. Both Yarmolyuk and Hutsulyak, as well as Vanat, who opened up more for the attack, activated the game. Moreover, he opened up more in zones than Yaremchuk, who, while with the ball, often played backward. He had few openings behind.
And Vanat is a speedy player, and this was well-utilized. To summarize this match, our guys did great. The team achieved an extremely necessary victory. It has greatly added positivity to all soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and every Ukrainian. Let’s hope that in the second match, we will play well against Belgium and ultimately overcome this opponent.
— During the match, the Ukrainian team faced two misfortunes on the right flank of the defense: first, Yukhym Koneplya got injured, and then Oleksiy Sych. In their place, Oleksandr Zinchenko had to play.
— After the substitutions of the right defenders Konoplia and Sych, this zone was closed by Zinchenko. I can say that he played great in the position entrusted to him. He played at his level. During the match, this player tried hard, made an assist, after which Zabarnyi scored. We all know very well that Zinchenko is a true universal player. He can equally successfully operate on the left flank of defense as well as the right, and also fulfill the role of a defensive midfielder.
— Which Ukrainian players do you consider the most useful in the match against the Belgians?
— The whole team deserves recognition. I liked Zabarnyi's game the most. He acted very confidently in defense, started attacks, and contributed. Moreover, he scored a goal.
— As far as I know, before the match, you predicted that Anatoliy Trubin would take the goalkeeping position in the starting lineup of the Ukrainian national team. However, contrary to your expectations, there was a duel between two goalkeepers of Madrid's "Real" — Andriy Lunin and Thibaut Courtois.
— Yes, yes, I initially thought that Trubin would start. Considering that Lunin had less playing practice in "Real", I believed that the coaching staff of our team would still choose Trubin. But it turned out differently, which confirms the competence of Serhiy Rebrov and his assistants.
Lunin had a good match, in which his colleague from the Madrid club, Courtois, was in goal opposite him. He conceded three, while our goalkeeper only one. Thus, Lunin won in the duel of "Real" goalkeepers (smiles). As for whether our coaching staff set them against each other on purpose — it’s hard to say. I think the decision was made by the goalkeeping coach. Perhaps even by Serhiy Stanislavovych himself. But I repeat: the main thing is that in this duel, a Ukrainian won.
— How do you think Ukraine will build its game in the return match that will take place in Genk?
— Honestly, it’s hard to say. At last year’s European Championship in Germany, we played against the Belgians with three central defenders. But now, it is unknown what the situation is with Bondar. If, say, the coaching staff of the Ukrainian national team decides to play in the same way, then at this stage, not everything is so simple in this respect.
Svatok, in my opinion, will not cover this position like Bondar would. Therefore, I believe they will not change the game scheme. Strategically, we need to play correctly in defense against the Belgians. However, as the second half of the Murcia match showed, when we played aggressively and pressed a lot, the Belgian team was generally not visible. Although we all understand that in the second match, there will be a completely different strategy since we will have two goals in hand — and it will be necessary to maintain this result.
I think our national team will try to play more on counterattacks. I believe it would be better for us to play in Genk like in the second half in Murcia — aggressively, boosting the pace and pressing the opponent. I am confident that in such a case, we can achieve the necessary result.
The main thing is for the players and the coaching staff not to think about the fact that the limit of our desires in the return game could be a draw. If you enter the field thinking that you need to preserve the result, then this, as a rule, is never achieved. I can affirm this from my own experience. So in Genk, we need to play, forgetting about the result of the first match. From a clean slate.
Andriy Pysarenko
