Cult coach of “Volyn” Vitaliy Kvartsyany shared his impressions of the Ukrainian national team’s game against New Zealand at the Canadian Shield tournament (2:1).
Vitaliy Kvartsyany
— Vitaliy Volodymyrovych, was it worth staying up all night for football today? Did you enjoy the match of the Ukrainian national team?
— It was worth it. I received positive emotions from both the result and the game. I really liked how Ukraine played. You know, when it’s bad, I say it’s bad, and when it’s good, it’s good. But I wouldn’t say that the match was easy, especially after the New Zealand team equalized.
— Were you surprised by the experimental squad of the Ukrainian national team for the match against New Zealand? All our stars — Zinchenko, Yaremchuk, Tsygankov, Sudakov, and Ko, were seated on the bench after they embarrassed themselves in the game against Canada (2:4).
— I think it was not easy for Rebrov to keep his word when he said before the first match that he would give a chance to play to everyone he called up, but he did it. He took the risk and went for an experiment.
I liked that all the players who started the game today performed at a decent level. The boys who don’t play regularly in the main squad handled the challenge well. Rebrov saw what they are really capable of. The benefits of participating in this tournament for the Ukrainian national team, especially for the coaching staff, are invaluable.
— But the defeat to Canada hit like...
— Everyone wants results, for Ukraine to always win, but that’s not how it goes. Rebrov needed to test his team, its reserves, at the tournament. In the match against New Zealand, all the boys had fire in their eyes. It was clear that they cared about the result, and what, if we lose again?
New Zealand is not a newcomer in world football, but a decent team that has played in the World Cup several times (they have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, and before that, they played in the World Cups of 1982 and 2010, — ed. V. H.).
— Fans of the Ukrainian national team recognized Illia Zabarniy as the best player of the match against New Zealand. Is this fair, in your opinion?
— I have liked Zabarniy since he played for Dynamo. Illia plays freely, confidently, performs a large amount of work, reads the game well, joins attacks, and is reliable in defense. If he passed back a little less, it would be great altogether. Now ask a hundred people who was the best, and a hundred will say it’s Zabarniy.
In general, in the match against New Zealand, there was no player who fell out of the game.
— However, the performance of our main country is, to put it mildly, far from ideal. What problems did you notice, what should Rebrov pay attention to, and what else needs to be worked on?
— I will say, maybe someone will be offended by me, but… I didn’t like the off-football moments. Why does Zabarniy play in short socks? Why did he pull them down? It doesn’t suit him! He is tall, and pulling down the socks makes him look shorter. Well, he is a handsome guy… As one writer said, everything in a person should be beautiful.
Girls love football players, that’s no secret. They love both drunk and stoned and rude, but not with pulled-down socks!
— Besides Zabarniy’s appearance, what else didn’t you like?
— The way some of our football players play during ball recovery. Constant pushing from opponents in the back, for instance. It’s unjustifiable. They grab opponents by their shirts. Just run after them, switch on your speed! Why are you pushing him, twisting him at 360 degrees?
I remember how Yozhef Sabo, Andriy Biba, or Volodymyr Muntyan played. They never allowed themselves to do such things on the field! They had a culture of ball recovery. You can play shoulder to shoulder, use your body… This has long troubled me; the way our national team players defend, but I kept silent. Ask me what I like? I will say it honestly.
The national team is a reflection of our football in general; they call up the best of the best. National team players must look good on the outside, play on the field in a way that doesn’t bring shame on them, and have spirit. With the last component, we have no problems.
I would also like to separately express my thoughts about our goalkeepers.
— It’s interesting that you don’t like Lunin or Trubin’s game. Yes, Anatoliy conceded four goals against Canada, but he is not to blame alone. Andriy didn’t make obvious mistakes against New Zealand either.
— In general, we have some of the best goalkeepers in the world in the national team now. Trubin is a good goalkeeper, but the way he plays in his area: legs forward, arms back, doing some splits. A goalkeeper must be completely organized — arms, legs, head — all is one structure. During exits, hands must go forward, not feet, because that results in a delayed reaction.
I understand that there is a trend nowadays that goalkeepers must play well with their feet, but remember how many mistakes Brazilian goalkeepers made at Liverpool (Alisson) and Manchester City (Ederson).
— What are the downsides of Lunin?
— In the match against New Zealand, for example, there’s a high ball coming from a corner, and Lunin, who plays for one of the best teams in the world, Real Madrid, doesn’t play on the exit as he should, choosing the wrong position in advance. He stands in the center, why? He should stand during the corner kick at the far post — from there, everything is better visible — then move. I remember that Bannikov flew around the penalty area like a plywood over Paris, catching every ball.
Well, Lunin against New Zealand, go out, jump and shout: «Mine», so that everyone’s ears go deaf; just grab that ball and there wouldn’t be a goal. It seems that some Rabinovich told Lunin: «Don’t jump, what do you need it for?»
It’s clear that young goalkeepers save their backs, their bodies, and don’t want to go into tough tackles. I’m not even talking about the fact that sometimes they take the ball in their hands, fall with it on the field, and lie down for five minutes.
— Playing on the “second floor” has never been a strength of the Ukrainian national team.
— Yes. And why? Because our defenders are all not very tall; except Zabarniy, who is 190 cm tall (actually, 189 cm, — ed. V. H.).
— The tournament in Toronto is already history. Ahead, in September, are the first two qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup against France and Azerbaijan. In these matches, Rebrov will have no room for error. Is there faith that Dovbyk, Zinchenko, Trubin, and company won’t embarrass themselves?
— Ukraine must definitely advance from the group. We have a very promising team. We only lack one thing.
— What exactly?
— Athletic footballers, powerful ones. And this is not Rebrov’s fault. We have plenty of left-footed players — Zinchenko, Hutsuliak, Tsygankov, Mykhailichenko, Martyniuk, Zubkov, Pykhalonok, Yarmolenko, Mykolenko, Nazarenko, Matviyenko. All left-footed players are unconventional; they have an advantage over opponents who can only play with their right foot. Therefore, I hope that due to the large number of left-footed players, we will be able to eliminate the problem of power and athleticism.
Rebrov and the national team are still missing a solid, powerful central defender, like Danil Beskorovainy, who is currently in recovery. Maybe he will recover in time for the qualifying matches. Adding strength to this Ukrainian team — we can not only qualify for the World Cup but also play decently there. As for everything else, we have many speedy players, technical ones, all with character.
Victor Glukhenky
