Natalia Zinchenko: "We had problems in defense when we opened up"

26.10.2021 21:01

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

The head coach of the women's national team of Ukraine Natalia Zinchenko commented on the defeat of the Spanish team in the selection for the 2023 World Cup.

In the second match of the European qualification for the 2023 World Cup, the blue and yellows are in Kovalivka lost Spain with a score of 0: 6. After the game, Natalia Zinchenko evaluated this result:

- It is difficult to comment on something after such a game. Unfortunately, we missed a quick goal. We set the girls up to slow down the opponent in the first 15-20 minutes, but it didn't work out. The illogical goal was missed, losing a player inside. The second ball is also still unclear. During the break they wanted to make adjustments. In the second half, the girls came on the field purposeful, aggressive, creating moments. But the third goal, I think, decided everything.

- Olga Ovdiychuk said after the match that the first half should have ended with a score of 0: 0, as not very logical goals were scored. In the first half, we gave advice to the Spanish national team on the structure and organization of the game?

- I think the girls are right, because goals are illogical. We managed to move quickly across the width. The Spaniards had almost six strikers, they tried to make a numerical advantage on the flanks. At first we managed, but there was a pass from the flank, we lost the player and concentration, missed a simple goal.

Such goals happen. We did not stop playing, we worked, we tried. Well done girls, I want to thank them, because everyone was fighting, there was a noticeable desire. In the second half we even pressed somewhere. It is clear that in case of losses, the Spaniards immediately used the free zones. They have a team played, eight players from "Barcelona". They constantly act in one composition, trying to act in one or two touches. Unfortunately, we had problems in defense when we opened up.

- Will you make changes in the starting lineup in the future? What will be the personnel conclusions?

- We have 23 equal players who can both play in the starting lineup and come on as a substitute. The next game we have in Scotland, we will start from the opponent, from their own tasks. The next matches will be significant in many ways. We have two away matches, then two at home. There is a small advantage. You need to take the maximum number of points now to fight for second place in the spring.

- Now new women's football clubs are being created in Ukraine. You follow the girls who perform there? It is possible that there will be new names in the national team?

- Yes, we have players from the U-19 national team, which meets Austria today. We decided to let the girls join this team because they have their own tasks and a very complex group. We do not have time for the next meeting with visas, but in the future they will, of course, come to us. Then we will have a much greater choice of personnel. There are girls in Kryvbas and Shakhtar. The main thing is that there are more Ukrainians, that they play in the championship. I think the level of both the championship and the national team will grow every year.

- How do you evaluate the game of girls in attack? What it takes our team to learn to overcome such a level of pressure as that created by the Spaniards?

- There were good exits, but without completion. I think it's because of psychology, fear. There are a lot of desires, the girls are adjusting, but after going on the field they see top football players in front of them ... Somewhere there was uncertainty that we are able to beat rivals in each other, break through, run away, win the fight. Today a lot has been said about struggle and martial arts. Unfortunately, so far in this component, the Spaniards have a big advantage.

We took the ball, but they immediately returned it to themselves. It was difficult for us in terms of speed of thinking. Opponents took the ball and passed it forward, but we couldn't give it forward because we didn't have time to think. Maybe we didn't have such technical equipment to give the ball to free zones, to go to attack at speed. If in Spanish only 30 out of 10 gears are inaccurate, then we have 15 out of XNUMX. This is a very important component, because it is difficult to play without the ball.

Calendar of 2023 World Cup qualifiers in Group B.

16.09.2021/0/10 Faroe Islands - Spain - XNUMX:XNUMX

17.09.2021/0/2 Hungary - Scotland - XNUMX: XNUMX

21.09.2021/7/1 Scotland - Faroe Islands - XNUMX: XNUMX

21.09.2021/0/7 Hungary - Spain - XNUMX: XNUMX

21.10.2021. Ukraine - Faroe Islands - 4: 0

22.10.2021/2/1 Scotland - Hungary - XNUMX: XNUMX

26.10.2021. Ukraine - Spain - 0: 6

26.10.2021/1/7 Faroe Islands - Hungary - XNUMX: XNUMX

Standings

25.11.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX Spain - Faroe Islands

26.11.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX Scotland - Ukraine

30.11.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX Hungary - Ukraine

30.11.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX Spain - Scotland

08.04.2022. Ukraine - Scotland

08.04.2022/XNUMX/XNUMX Hungary - Faroe Islands

12.04.2022. Ukraine - Hungary

12.04.2022/XNUMX/XNUMX Scotland - Spain

02.09.2022/XNUMX/XNUMX Faroe Islands - Ukraine

02.09.2022 Spain - Hungary

06.09.2022/XNUMX/XNUMX Spain - Ukraine

06.09.2022/XNUMX/XNUMX Faroe Islands - Scotland

Playoffs: October 3-11, 2022.

Intercontinental playoffs: November 7-15, 2022, February 13-25, 2023, and April 3-11, 2023.

Final tournament (Australia, New Zealand): July 10 - August 20, 2023.

Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament. European area

Group Round

Europe has 2023 direct tickets to the 11 World Cup, another team will take part in the intercontinental playoffs. 

The 51 national teams will play in a two-round tournament with home and away matches in nine groups: three groups of five teams (A-C) and six groups of six teams (D-I). The matches of this stage will take place in the period from September 2021 to September 2022.

Group A: Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Slovakia, Georgia.

Group B: Spain, Scotland, Ukraine, Hungary, Faroe Islands.

Group C: The Netherlands, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Belarus, Cyprus.

Group D: England, Austria, Northern Ireland, Northern Macedonia, Latvia, Luxembourg.

Group E: Denmark, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Malta, Montenegro.

Group F: Norway, Belgium, Poland, Albania, Kosovo, Armenia.

Group G: Italy, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, Moldova, Lithuania.

Group H: Germany, Portugal, Serbia, Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria.

Group I: France, Wales, Slovenia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Estonia.

Nine group winners will go directly to the 2023 World Cup. The second teams of the groups will continue to fight in the next stage.

Playoffs

The nine teams that take second place in the groups will advance to the playoffs, which will consist of two stages.

The top three among the second teams will have the opportunity to play directly in the second stage of the playoffs. The remaining six participants will compete for three passes in single-match confrontations in the first stage. The three winners of the first round and the three teams that advanced directly to the second stage will determine the three winners of the UEFA playoffs in one-match duels.

The two winners of the second-ranked UEFA playoffs (criteria applied to the results of the group stage plus the playoffs of the second round) will receive two automatic places at the 2023 World Cup, while the third winner will continue his journey in the intercontinental playoffs.