Oleksandr Zinchenko: "Thanks to the chosen tactics we had the advantage in the center of the field"

23.03.2019 14:15

Photo by Pavel Kubanov.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, a midfielder of the national team of Ukraine, shared his thoughts after the away game of the Euro 2020 selection in Lisbon.

In the first round of the qualifying tournament national teams of Portugal and Ukraine did without goals. In the composition of blue-yellows the full match was played by Alexander Zinchenko, who later commented on the events on the field.

— Alexander, what can you say about the Portugal national team game?

- We all know that the Portuguese have a lot of quality players, and they play hard at home. Maybe luck was on our side, but I want to say that we worked very well without the ball. We also had a good chance to score. It would be great if Moraes excelled.

— Rivals filed as many as 18 corners. When did you realize that you could still stand?

- This is football - anything can happen. But we must pay attention to the fact that we allowed a lot of corners at their gates. Most of them might not have happened if we had kicked the ball out or saved it. It needs to be eradicated.

— How difficult was it to get out of the defense into the attack, given the constant pressing of opponents?

- The Portuguese let us play at times. We could have come out of the defense better. Thanks to the chosen tactics, we had an advantage in the center of the field. Of course, there was a shortage in simple situations, we have something to work on.

— After the match, was your Manchester City partner Bernardo Silva surprised by the result?

—I managed to exchange a few phrases with him after the game. Bernardo said he was very tired. In general, all Portuguese are disappointed.

— Now the Luxembourg national team is waiting for you — group leader…

- We need to start preparing for the next match now.