Serhiy Rebrov: "Crucial to see the team step up with a new mindset and show our strength"

20.11.2024 00:27

Following the 2:1 victory against Albania in the UEFA Nations League 2024/2025, Ukraine's head coach Serhiy Rebrov held a press conference.

– Did you ever think about winning comfortably at least once?

– At this level, you can never win comfortably. It was a very tough away game. It was even harder to play just two days after a challenging match and tough pitch in Georgia. Every game for the Ukrainian national team is very difficult.

– How do you assess Albania's performance?

– We had a very tough group. All the teams participated in UEFA EURO 2024. I’m grateful to the players for securing our place in the playoffs. It was very difficult. Albania, with the support of their fans in the second half, showed their strength. It’s great that we managed to keep the lead.

– Were you worried that Albania might still salvage the match?

– We don’t need to be afraid, we need to react. We made some substitutions. We understood how tough it is to play in Tirana with such fan support. Albania is a strong team, they performed confidently at EURO 2024. We were well-prepared for this team, for this game, and today the result was very important.

– After securing the playoff spot, do you think Ukraine wasn’t fully appreciated as a team in previous matches?

– We had a very evenly matched group, all the teams were of a high level. That’s why the battle lasted until the last round. I don’t think all our setbacks were based on performance. It was an equal contest, even the first match against Albania. Both teams had their moments. What’s important is that today it's crucial to see the team step up with a new mindset and show our strength.

– Are you satisfied with the experiments made throughout the Nations League campaign? Many new players have appeared. How do you assess their performances?

– We had two objectives in the Nations League. The first was to try to make it to the World Cup playoffs, just like during the EURO 2024 qualifiers. The second was to look at players who had been part of the youth teams and had participated in the Olympics. I believe we succeeded in both tasks and now we’re playing in the playoffs. Those players who joined the team brought confidence and intensity to the game. As you saw, today Oleksiy Sych, who hadn’t been prepared for this call-up, was later included and played at a very high level.

– You made successful substitutions in the starting lineup. How do you evaluate the performance of those players?

– It was a very difficult camp because the players from Dynamo and Shakhtar have been playing a lot. The logistics were challenging, and many players had minor injuries. Choosing the lineup was very difficult. I always realize that we’re playing two matches. If the starting lineup in the first match is what you consider the main one, we already think about how to refresh it with other players. As you saw, against Georgia, we lacked intensity, so today with these players and their motivation, we added more intensity.

– Who would you like to play against in the playoffs?

– Before the game, we weren’t thinking about who our opponents would be. The most important thing was to win and show Ukraine’s strength.

Additionally, the Blue and Yellows finished in second place in Group B1 of the Nations League 2024/2025 . This means Ukraine will play in the playoff matches against one of the teams that finished third in the A League groups (Scotland, Belgium, Hungary, Serbia). The draw for this stage will take place on November 22, with matches scheduled for March 20 and 23, 2025. Ukraine will start the series at home.