The head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Serhiy Rebrov, commented on the victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina (2:1) in the semi-final of the Euro-2024 qualification play-offs.

— What analysis can you provide after this game? What changes did you make in the last minutes to change the course of the match? What did you say to Roman Yaremchuk?

— I told him to score a goal. Indeed, we changed the course of the match in the last 15 minutes. We expected a very difficult game as Bosnia and Herzegovina changed their structure, playing with three central defenders. Such a tough game was because the hosts defended well, so it was hard to break through that line of defense. It's good that we won.

— Did you make the right decisions with your substitutions? What can you say about the game?

— Today, we played against a strong opponent. The hosts played with three center-backs, which was unusual for this coach before. Bosnia defended well, it was hard to break through that wall. We changed our structure and brought in another forward. I think this helped as we scored twice.

— Are you in agreement with the idea that the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina lost to themselves?

— I don't see it that way. Our players tried to put more pressure on them, we slightly changed our game structure. Perhaps the Bosnian team was not ready for this structure. Maybe that's their problem. We created chances in the last 15 minutes, and the players showed a desire to win.

— How important is this victory for people in Ukraine, especially considering the overnight attack on Kyiv?

— I talked about this with my players before the match. I hope our team gave a little bit of positivity to our people. As you said, there were 30 rockets last night. They are coming every day. Our mission is to show that we are still alive, still fighting against the Russians, and that we still need support from Europe. This game showed the character of our players and our nation.

— How would you evaluate the performance of the debutants in the national team?

— They helped the team a lot. Volodymyr Brazyko is a young player who played very strongly. As did Oleksiy Hushchulak, who came on as a substitute. The whole team deserved to win, I won't single anyone out.

— The next few days will be very busy. Ahead is the match against Iceland. How do you evaluate this opponent? Have you already done some tactical preparation for the Icelanders earlier?

— Yes, we watched Iceland. But now it will be a completely different game. We will play in Poland where there will be many of our supporters. I am sure the stadium will be full and everyone is waiting for the match. First and foremost, players need to recover, that's very important right now. The next game will have a different mood for our players.

We remind you that our team will play against Iceland in the Euro-2024 qualification playoff final, who beat Israel in the other semi-final. The match will take place on March 26 at the "Tychy Arena" stadium in Tychy, Poland and will start at 8:45 PM local time (9:45 PM Kyiv time).