Ruslan Rotan, the acting head coach of Ukraine's national team, commented on the loss to England at Wembley in a Euro-2024 qualification match.

— What was missing today for a positive result?

— I believe we were a bit impatient towards the end of the first half. When you concede goals «in the dressing room,» you need to mentally reset yourself. When opponents double their score, it becomes a difficult task for our team because we understand who we are playing against. We played against England, a strong and highly skilled team. I can say that the boys deserve better. We have a very good team, which needs time. You will see that this group is capable of much more.

— The national team hasn't played since September last year. How difficult was it today? What do you think about Ukrainian supporters who were given the opportunity to support the team?

— It's very tough to play the first match after such a break. Right now, we are slightly rejuvenating, and this balance will yield results in the future and create a great team. The first game against a strong opponent showed that there is a future for this team.

I want to thank the supporters, both ours and English, who also supported us. It's an incredible atmosphere, something you can only dream of. I hope this match at Wembley will give our national team a boost to achieve great heights.

— What was the idea behind moving Zinchenko to right back in the second half?

— When we were pushing up the flank, we lost many balls. So I expected there would be fewer losses and more control of the game. Plus, I brought on fresh players into midfield to give a boost, be more active upfront, and change the course of the match. Unfortunately, we couldn't be very aggressive upfront. In some places, we controlled the ball pretty well, but lacked patience in certain moments when it was necessary to hold onto the ball and look for opportunities.

— Your qualification campaign is taking place under difficult circumstances. How do you think your performance will be?

— Indeed, logistically it's very tough for us; we practically spend 24 hours gathering for matches and reaching places where we set up camp. But we have to make the best of what we have. Unfortunately, there is a war, and we need to understand that. We can only thank our soldiers for allowing us to play against such teams. Logistics issues are secondary — we need to get used to this. God willing, may the war in our country end sooner.

— Many supporters expected Tsygankov in the starting lineup. Why did you decide to bring him on as a substitute and do you regret that decision?

— After a match ends with such a result, one can say many things and justify oneself afterwards. But before the game, we have a plan. We clearly understood that the first half would be very tough for us, as England's team would actively press, cover up, and give little time to work with the ball. We just needed to endure this pressure, control the ball well. For the second half, there was an idea that Tsygankov, who is in great form, could make a difference with his successful actions. Unfortunately, the plans didn't align. So one can evaluate it differently, but it was my decision.

— Don't you think you were a bit late with substitutions, especially bringing on Dovbyk earlier?

— Indeed, maybe we could have brought in Dovbyk a little earlier. But Yaremchuk worked very well defensively, and he does that quite well.