Nataliya Zinchenko: Ukraine will face a difficult test in Athens, the team has lost two more leaders

26.10.2020 16:00

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

After yesterday's training at the STC. V. Bannikov in Kyiv women's national team of Ukraine went to Boryspil airport and flew to Athens, where on October 27 they will play against Greece in the 2022 European Championship qualifying.

- Unfortunately, we were able to include only 15 field players and three goalkeepers in the delegation, - said the team's head coach Nataliya Zinchenko in a comment to the UAF official website. - The next tests revealed a coronavirus in two more of my wards - the captain of the national team Dariya Apanashchenko and the winger Olha Boichenko. It was not possible to fill the vacancies, because the Greek medical services have very strict quarantine requirements.

- Well, these are serious personnel losses, which significantly complicate the situation of our team. And in what condition are those of your wards who have not escaped injuries in the recent past confrontation with the Irish?

- Do you mean Natiya Pantsulaia and Iya Andrushchak? Fortunately, their injuries were not serious, and I hope that the medical staff of the Ukrainian national team will do everything to make them play in Athens.

- Have you already decided on the girls who will replace Apanashchenko and Boichenko?

- So far there are no specifics. There is still a pre-game training in Athens ahead, and only then I will be able to name the starting lineup to play against Greece.

- Have you already studied in detail the game of the Greeks in the last official match - against Montenegro?

- Of course, but, unlike us, Greece do not have personnel problems. At least all the leading players took part in the match with Montenegro. Ukraine in Athens will face a difficult test, especially if we take into account that we will play in a weakened team. Hosts are physically strong, act harshly, use the 4–2–3–1 scheme, but, if necessary, adopt 4–3–3. A lot will depend on whether my wards will be able to control the ball, how quickly they will move from defense to attack. Still, I hope that the staffing problems will only unite the girls, and they will demonstrate their best qualities. This is very important, because only a positive result leaves the national team of Ukraine a chance to make it to the finals of the European Championship.

The squad of the national women's team of Ukraine

Goalkeepers: Iryna Sanina (Zhytlobud-1 Kharkiv), Daryna Bondarchuk (Zhytlobud-2 Kharkiv), Alla Herasymchuk (Voskhod Stara Mayachka).

Defenders: Dariya Kravets (Reims, France), Anastasiya Voronina (Zhytlobud-1 Kharkiv), Iryna Podolska, Anastasia Filenko, Natiya Pantsulaya (all Zhytlobud-2 Kharkiv), Lyubov Shmatko (Minsk, Belarus).

Midfielders: Anna Petryk (Zhytlobud-1 Kharkiv), Tamila Khimich (Minsk Belarus), Iya Andrushchak, Yana Malakhova, Yana Kalinina (all Zhytlobud-2 Kharkiv), Yuliya Khrystyuk (EMS-Podillya Vinnytsia).

Forwards: Nadiya Kunina, Anna Voronina (both Zhytlobud-1 Kharkiv), Nicole Kozlova (Virginia Tech, USA).

Group I standings

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

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.

It will be recalled that on April 23, the UEFA Executive Committee decided on postponement of the final part of the European Championship among the national women's national teams. Thus, the Euro in England will be held from 6 to 31 July 2022.