The head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Serhiy Rebrov, summarized the results of the 5th round match of the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament against the French national team (0:4) in a broadcast on MEGOGO, which took place on Thursday, November 13, in Paris.
Serhiy Rebrov— It seemed that in the first half, your team’s game plan was well-executed. Was that how you intended to play?
— No. We planned to attack more, but the French national team forced us to defend very low. I believe that in the second half, we also played well until the penalty against us. Before that, I believe there was a penalty in favor of our team. I’ve already watched the replay of this episode: the French player approached with an open foot, which, in my opinion, is a penalty. But what happened, happened.
It is now very important to recover and thoroughly prepare for the decisive match against Iceland.
— Did this penalty situation break your team?
— I don’t think so. It was mainly about the speed of the French national team. In the first half, we defended well, but in the second half, fatigue set in, and it was difficult for us to keep up with the fast players of the French team.
— Today, the Ukrainian team had no chances. How were you planning to find them?
— By holding on to the ball and attacking. We had some opportunities in the first half, but we didn’t capitalize on them. In the second half, we also had a few moments, but again, we failed to finish them, which led to counterattacks on our goal.
Yes, it’s a very disappointing defeat, but we can fix everything on Sunday in the match against Iceland, so we will prepare thoroughly for it.
Text transcription — Dynamo.kiev.ua, when using the material, a hyperlink is mandatory!
