The national team of Ukraine has started a series of matches as part of their preparation for the 2022 World Cup playoffs and the June meetings in the Nations League 2022/2023. In Mönchengladbach, the blue-and-yellow defeated the local "Borussia" with a score of 2:1. After the match, the head coach of our team, Oleksandr Petrakov, evaluated his players' performance:

— The first game, the national team hasn't played for half a year, I haven't worked for half a year. I have no questions for the boys at this stage, they did well. There were many mistakes, we will correct them.

— What did you feel during the performance of the Ukrainian National Anthem before the match? How was the atmosphere in the stadium?

— Very good atmosphere. Honestly, tears welled up in my eyes, goosebumps ran down my skin. It's great that our nation has united. We thank Ukrainians who came and supported us, we thank Germans as well. The atmosphere was wonderful.

— The national team is playing matches, scoring goals, while in Ukraine there is a war going on and people are dying every day. How do you feel about this?

— I wish no one had to experience that. I was in Kyiv from the first day when everything started. You sit at home and don't know where a shell will land. I wasn't afraid, slept at home while my wife went to sleep in a bomb shelter because she couldn't stand it. It's very unpleasant, nobody wishes anyone to go through such things.

— Mudryk and Pichalok brilliantly started their careers with the national team by scoring goals. What future do you see for these boys in the team?

— This is a friendly match, we shouldn't make hasty conclusions. We don't need to praise players yet. The main game is ahead of us. I will think about who to put in the lineup. This is a friendly match, but things will be different in official games. The boys scored goals and I praised them; now let's move forward.

— How would you comment on Yurym Konovalenko's play? His mistake led to a goal.

— I have no questions for my footballers. This is internal business. We will review the mistakes and move forward.

— What condition is Viktor Cyganov in now?

— Cyganov stayed in Ljubljana, working with a rehabilitation specialist. I hope he will be back in action within three to four days. As for Artem Dovbyk, we had an MRI done on him with the help of "Borussia." He has minor damage and that's why we kept him out today. Artem needs five to six days to recover.

— Have you formed a list of players who will be called up for the national team?

— We, along with the coaching staff, will sit down and think about it. Tomorrow afternoon we'll publish the list. I'll say right away that not everyone will be on it. I'll keep one name in the list of players.

— There has been a lot of talk about friendly matches for Ukraine's national team. How satisfied are you with the number and level of opponents?

— If we were playing official matches according to the original schedule, I would have gathered the team at the end of May before the Nations League. Given the situation now, it's practically impossible to find a sparring partner in Europe. People from the Ukrainian Football Association are doing everything possible to find opponents for us. We will play against "Empoli" and "Rijeka," who responded positively. On May 19-20, I'll give the boys two days off, and on May 21 at 5 p.m., we have a training session. I want the players to see their families. As for matches after that — I don't know how it will work out. There are options with African teams. It's impossible to play against club teams because no one wants to wait after finishing their championships to play a friendly match with us. People are working on this, President of UAF Andriy Pavelko is dealing with the issue.

— With what emotions did you return to coaching work after everything that happened?

— I haven't worked for half a year, then war started. When I stepped onto the field, I felt like I wasn't in my own shoes. But when the game began, I got into it. Everything is fine, not bad results.