Ukraine national team defender Vitaliy Mykolenko commented on the draw in the match against Ireland (1:1) in the Nations League.

— How fair is the score of 1:1? Did you deserve to win or did you get lucky?

— I wouldn't say we got lucky or deserved a win. I think the result was justified.

— How would you comment on the goal conceded?

— It happened to Collins, good for him. We'll review the mistakes at the next training session and figure out who was responsible for the goal.

— The captain finally returned to the starting lineup. How important is Andriy Yarmolenko to the team?

— He's a very important player, the captain who always leads the team forward. After a short break, he came back onto the field and tried his best like everyone else.

— Yarmolenko assisted Artem Dovbyk with his right foot. Has his right side become much stronger?

— Yarmolenko is like wine, he gets better and stronger with age.

— Do you think it will be possible to hold onto the first spot in the Nations League group?

— We'll see. During the next training session, we have two tough games against Scotland and also a difficult one away from home against Armenia. I believe the intrigue will last until the end.

— What conclusions can be drawn from the February matches?

— We accomplished half of our goal since the main objective was to qualify for the World Cup. In the Nations League, we remained in first place.

— We currently have seven points, although it could have been nine. A bit disappointing?

— It could have been six as well. I'll repeat, the result was justified since both teams wanted to win.