The head coach of Ukraine’s U-17 youth team, Oleksandr Sytnyk, summarized the team’s performance in the first qualification round of the European Championship.
Oleksandr Sytnyk (photo: uaf.ua)— Mr. Oleksandr, in your opinion, what is the main reason for the unsuccessful result in the Euro qualification?
— The first match against Montenegro, which ended in a draw. We were obliged to win that match. The team created many chances but could only convert one. Ultimately, this draw affected the future dynamics in our group.
— Have you experienced something similar in your coaching career, when out of 20 shots only one reached the target?
— Our game was reinforced by substitutions. The players increased the intensity. But, in my opinion, the poor finishing was influenced by haste. Initially, when we needed to catch up. And later, when we needed to score the winning goal. Additionally, there was the nervousness of the debut match in the tournament. This excessive desire to score overwhelmed them, and the players lacked calmness and composure. Regarding your question, such instances have occurred. But once again, Fortuna was not on our side.
— Was this draw a key negative turning point for Ukraine?
— Yes. Especially, no one could have predicted that in the next round, Italy would lose to the same Montenegro, allowing them to score twice and win 2−1, despite Italy’s undisputed advantage. There were many questions for the referee, who did not send off a Montenegrin player, registering the card to another player instead. The Italians filed a protest, but nothing was resolved. It was Montenegro’s days in Estonia.
The refereeing was also unclear in our match against Italy. Perhaps there was a desire to make amends to the Italians.
— Can you consider the match against Italy an asset for your team?
— It was a decisive game for both us and our opponent. The Italians needed a bit more, as only a win suited them. The crucial moment in this game probably happened in the 15th minute when Dzyurinets failed to convert a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Had we scored first, it would have been psychologically difficult for the opponent to recover, and it would have given us confidence. However, we conceded first. It’s good that we leveled the score, but we ultimately lost 1−2. We lacked resources due to injuries to leading players, and as for luck, I have already mentioned. Individually, the Italians are very strong, but we fought until the end and were short of just five minutes.
