The head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Serhiy Rebrov, commented on the draw (0:0) in the decisive match against Italy in Euro-2024 qualification.

— Comment on the situation with Mudryk's fall, where there was a clear penalty, but the referee did not even review it.

— I also believe that there was a clear penalty, but there is VAR. From my perspective, this should have been a penalty kick. But we do not decide that. Probably, upon reviewing VAR, they did not see the foul. There are people who watch...

— What could not be achieved? What prevented victory?

— We had a game plan. We were playing against the reigning European champion. It is very difficult to constantly press this team from the first minute. Therefore, in the first half we focused more on defense, and in the second half we played more intensely, pressed more, and as a result took possession of the ball and created opportunities. Yes, now the boys are quite disappointed because they did not achieve results. But I believe that they showed a good game, can only thank them.

— How difficult was it to go through this group and qualify for next year's playoff?

— Of course, it is difficult. Few people believed in us. We fought until the last game. I am grateful to the players with whom we have been working together for about half a year. They showed an understanding of our play, demonstrated Ukrainian character. As you all know, the war in Ukraine continues. This is hard on the players who always look at their phones and follow the news, just like me. It's not easy to work in this atmosphere. But we all understand that we represent a strong country, which we demonstrated on the field. We showed character, fought for our country.

— What can you say about the stands and the atmosphere in Leverkusen?

— I love playing in Germany, sure, the players like it here too. Thankful to Leverkusen and Germany for the opportunity to play on this wonderful stadium. A great atmosphere was there during the national anthem performance. The Italians applauded us — that's very emotional. This match was broadcast in many countries. The Italians showed respect and support for Ukraine, the atmosphere was fantastic.