The head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Serhiy Rebrov, commented on the away victory over Malta (3:1) in Euro-2024 qualification.

— What are your thoughts about the match? Why was the first half so difficult?

— In the first half, we created problems for ourselves but solved them in the second. We lost battles, conceded a goal, but came back into the game. The match was very tough. Everyone needs to understand how important today's result was. I'm grateful to the players who achieved it. But we need to improve our play.

— What are your emotions after Mykhailo Mudryk scored his first goal for the national team? Will this help him in terms of pressure reduction? What did you say to him?

— We all congratulated him. This is a very important step for Mykhailo. He scored, created chances for himself and his teammates. We secured crucial three points and move forward.

— Comment on the play of the Malta national team.

— The opponents played well today. But we had a problem – we allowed Malta to create too many chances. The hosts didn't have tournament motivation, they wanted to show good football in front of their fans. I think they succeeded. As I already said, the problem was with us, especially in the first half where results pressure was on us.

— What surprised you about your team's performance that wasn't at its best?

— It's always difficult for Ukraine to play against such opponents who defend very tightly. This was shown in our previous meeting with Malta too. They are a very compact team. Any national team finds it hard under these conditions if they don't score an early goal, especially after conceding one. But we tried to come back, scored two goals, which was very important to do in the first half. In the second half, we didn't create many chances but attacked, trying to score a third goal to feel more comfortable.

— Have you already spoken with Unai Emery after the victory of the Ukrainian youth team over England? How did you react to this achievement?

— Yes, we're all pleased. I congratulated Unai. This is very important for him first and foremost because now the team will trust their coach more and move forward with him. It's a significant victory not only for Unai but also for all of Ukraine since beating a top European team – always a great occasion.