Nataliya Zinchenko: After a bad start, my wards no longer have the right for mistake, every game is like a final

23.09.2020 12:12

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

In the qualifying round of Euro-2022, the women's national team of Ukraine got two victories in a row, over Montenegro (3: 1) and Greece (4: 0), and continues to claim a place in the finals.

- After an unsuccessful start, my wards no longer have the right to make a mistake, for them every match is like a final, - said the head coach of the women's national team of Ukraine Natalia Zinchenko in a comment to the official website of the UAF. - That's why the girls didn't have to be particularly tuned to these confrontations. The plan was one - to go out on the field and win…

- And yet during the match in Montenegro, the opponents were surprised by something?

- No. They acted in their own style, trying to challenge us on every piece of the pitch. Frankly, the strong wind was more annoying, we had to be ready for such natural inconvenience. In the first half it was our ally, after the break, on the contrary, it played for the Balkans. With a score of 0: 2, the Montenegrins took up long passes almost from their penalty area, and it was not easy to break their attacks.

- Didn't the missed goal cause you to worry about the final result?

- No, because the advantage in the class of Ukraine was still felt. As for the missed ball, it was the result of a loss of concentration by our defenders in the standard position. However, as expected, this relative failure only united my wards, and they gained momentum, attacking the opponent already in his half of the field. Soon the ball was in the net of the hosts for the third time, and the question of the winner could be removed from the agenda.

- The next opponent, Greece, was much more serious. How did you prepare for this duel?

- We returned to Kyiv by charter from Podgorica on September 19 and conducted training at the Obolon country base in Bucha.

- What information about the opponent did you have?

- We watched videos of the last matches of the Greek women - with Ireland and Germany. They acted in a slightly different manner than the Montenegrins: they tried to control the ball, to make multi-pass combinations. They also include footballers who play for foreign clubs. Thus, Greek women could not be underestimated.

- Compared to the match with the Montenegrins, four new players appeared in the starting lineup with Greece…

- The replacement of Natia Pantsulai was forced, she received another warning in Podgorica and could no longer help us. But since the national team of Ukraine has two equal teams, the rotation did not scare us. Especially since we were going to use high pressure to make it harder for the Greeks to control the ball, and it was important that all players were as physically fit as possible.

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

- The match with Greece was not easy, but the situation on the field changed dramatically after the appearance of Nicole Kozlova in the second half…

- Kozlova is a universal player, in Podgorica she acted on the edge of the attack, did a lot of rough work, got a little tired, and that's why we decided that she won't be able to start with Greece. But when I felt the need to strengthen the left flank of the midfield, I threw Nicole into battle. And she did not disappoint, twice closed the sharp passes of partners, making a double. It is gratifying that my wards did not stop there, they picked up the pace and, taking advantage of the fatigue of their counterparts, brought the case to defeat.

- Who would you single out among your players?

- I never do that, we were a strong team in the matches with Montenegro and Greece.

- What's next?

- We will gather again in Kyiv on October 19 to prepare for the next qualifying matches - home against Ireland and away against Greece. It will be difficult, but thanks to incredible dedication, I hope we will be able to achieve the desired…

Group standings I

Matches remaining in the Euro-2022 qualification in Group I.

22.10.2020/XNUMX/XNUMX Greece - Montenegro

23.10.2020         Ukraine - Ireland

27.10.2020/XNUMX/XNUMX Greece - Ukraine

28.11.2020/XNUMX/XNUMX Germany - Greece

01.12.2020         Ukraine - Montenegro

01.12.2020/XNUMX/XNUMX Ireland - Germany

Of the 47 teams participating in the Euro qualifiers, 15 will reach the decisive stage. Nine winners of the selected groups and the top three second teams will join England as the host of the European Championship. Six more second-placed teams in their groups will play in the last three matches in playoffs. These matches will take place on April 5-13, 2021.