Artem Bondarenko: "We will go to the second game with the Slovaks with a completely different attitude. There will be another team on the field"

26.09.2022 20:16

Photo of UAF press service

Midfielder of the youth national team of Ukraine, Artem Bondarenko, shared his expectations for the return match of the Euro 2023 (U-21) playoff selection against Slovakia, which will take place on September 27 in the Polish city of Bielsko-Biala at the Municipal Stadium (beginning - at 18.30 Kyiv time). Considering the defeat in the away match (2:3), blue-yellow now only need a victory.

"We are used to playing on natural fields, while the artificial turf in the previous game against Slovakia created a little discomfort for us. This is by no means an excuse, but simply a fact. The difference lies in everything - in the feeling, in the bounce of the ball, in the movement. Football people will understand that it is much more difficult to play on an artificial pitch.

Everyone understands that the playoffs consist of two games, so we didn't do any tragedy, we didn't get sad, but we immediately started to recover and prepare for the next meeting. It will be the most important. Everything is in our hands. We always talk as a team, discuss mistakes, that's normal. Everyone understands the task before us.

We dissected Slovakia, including the treacherous actions of the opponent's players. I think we will go into this match with a completely different mindset. There will be a completely different team on the field. Blanks? Our main goal is to win the match and move on.

We would like to thank those people who came to support us in Slovakia. There was a considerable number of fans. In Poland, we are waiting for even more support. In such matches, when a lot depends on psychology, the support of the fans is very important for us," says Artem Bondarenko Community Sports.