Andriy Shevchenko: All the substitutions we made were beneficial, the players who came on played well

17.06.2021 20:25

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

Head coach of the national team of Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko held a press conference after the match with the team of North Macedonia at Euro 2020 - 2:1.

- The first half performed by the national team of Ukraine was perfect. Why did the team allow the opponent to return to the game, which caused a nervous breakdown?

- The final part of the European Championship is a very emotional tournament, the balance of the team can change at any moment. We had a good first half, started the second half well, and then our mistake led to a penalty. After the conceded ball there was nervousness, then again we had a chance, we could score. Tsyhankov had a moment, then we didn't score a penalty.

We must pay tribute to the opponent. North Macedonia is a team with character. They took advantage of our mistake and returned to the game.   

- Why did the national team of Ukraine score two goals in a few minutes and then slow down?

- We could have scored more. We need to see how many chances we had in the game, how the team plays in attack, how it creates moments, how variously it moves. I think today Ukraine played quite well in the attack, it was nice to watch. And the most important thing is that we scored again and this time we won.

- Are you satisfied with the actions of Ruslan Malinovskyi on the left and are you waiting for him in this position in the next match?

- Malinovskyi had a great match. We tried to balance the team, and we succeeded. Ukraine, especially in the attack, performed well. At the end of the second half, we rebuilt, played according to a completely different scheme, because we had to secure our goal and create some pressure in front, so that there were no long passes and throws. We released two fresh players at once, who were constantly pumping. Besedin clung to the ball, Tsyhankov had a good chance to score the third goal. All the substitutions we made were beneficial, the players who came on played well. Well, Malinovskyi played for Atalanta in this position and played well today.

- Is there any progress in the actions of your team compared to the first match?

- These two matches are completely different. Netherlands is a team of another class, which builds its game on completely different principles. I think we played well with the Netherlands today as well. North Macedonia is a team with a character that returns to the game at the slightest chance. The team may not be the best in terms of quality, but it has quite qualified players and leaders. I repeat, in total we played two good matches.