The former goalkeeper of the Ukrainian national team Ilya Blyznyuk assessed the performance of the “yellow-blues” against France in the qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup, which ended with our team losing 0:2.
— The expected result and as a consequence — the defeat of our national team. Could we have hoped for better?
— In matches of this level, much depends on the play of the midfield. But unfortunately, the midfield was the weakest link, leading to frequent mistakes. A lot of vertical passes, and with them dangerous moments, were created through the center. How was the first goal scored? Initially, the opponent’s attack was built through the flank, after which a pass followed right into the area of the penalty mark, where there was a huge space that Olise broke into, scoring a quick goal. If the central defenders had shifted to the left, then this area should have been covered by central midfielders Kalyuzhny or Yarmolyuk. But neither was there. And this was a failure of the entire central axis.
An early goal helped France feel confident and gain an advantage, while our team, on the contrary, became nervous. The first half was completely failed. The tactic of playing a tight defense in counterattacks did not work. Even if there were approaches to the opponent’s penalty area, they were interrupted by solid defense and simple play from the defenders: the ball was cleared forward to reposition themselves. Our players, in their own penalty area, tried to play through passes, which led to ball losses and systematic mistakes. Sometimes simplicity is better than rationality. The French played more quickly with the ball, while we had many inaccuracies, especially in the first half.
— The second half saw the Ukrainian team play better. Was this a result of France easing off, calming down, or did our team step up, showing character?
— I believe both factors were present. We even created two goal-scoring opportunities, and had Zabarnyi scored — everything could have turned out differently. In this moment, I would note the good backup from the defenders, who cleared the ball off the line. But after our team’s burst of activity, the opponent again took the initiative. They showed how to use the first vertical pass to a teammate.
— Such a wonderful pass found Mbappé’s feet, where he outpaced Zabarnyi at speed, then twisted past him and scored. That’s mastery!
— Here the question is not only towards Zabarnyi but also other players. They pushed forward, leaving a large space behind, and Mbappé has better speed, and technically he is equipped perfectly. Space and speed are his assets. And in such cases, leaving Zabarnyi without backup is a disaster. A few minutes later, a similar situation occurred where Mbappé could have made it 3:0, but fortunately for us, he stumbled. In that goal-scoring moment, I would highlight Trubin’s play; he remained on his feet, did not go down for the strike, outsmarted the forward. He showed that he would fall, Mbappé lowered his eyes and started executing a technique with a chip, while Trubin, standing, received the ball. That’s the class of a goalkeeper.
— Despite the negative result, who can be highlighted in our national team?
— Definitely Trubin. He played reliably and confidently, where he could, he saved, because the score could have been larger. He is not to blame for the conceded goals. But class is class, and the French national team showed that, winning deservedly. The task of the Ukrainian national team is to take second place in the group. I hope it will be so.
Serhiy Shebek