After the CH-2026 qualifier match against France in Paris (0:4), head coach of the Ukraine national team, Serhiy Rebrov, answered journalists' questions.

— Mr. Serhiy, in the first half, the Ukrainian national team held up quite well. France had some chances but failed to capitalize on any of them. Was the turning point and key moment the penalty at the start of the second half?

— I think there were two key moments. The first one is the penalty against France. As far as I could see, their player went in with an open foot, and in my opinion, a 11-meter kick should have been awarded. However, the referee decided otherwise. Then came the penalty for us. Yes, these are two key episodes of the game. Although I don't consider them to be the only ones that determined the result. France created many opportunities in the second half when our players showed signs of fatigue.

In the first half, we disciplined ourselves defensively and almost didn’t allow anything to the opponent. But in the second, unfortunately, we conceded—0:4. We have time and an opportunity to fix everything next Sunday.

— How would you evaluate Taras Mykhalko's debut and the episode with the penalty?

— I am pleased with his debut. He deserved this chance, came out under a three-man central defense scheme, and in my view played very well, helping in defense. But unfortunately, excessive aggression in our own penalty area… We warned him about it, but he is a young lad who eagerly goes into battle. Unfortunately, that's where it happened.

— At the 64th minute when you made two substitutions, you called Zabarny to yourself. Did you adjust tactics and formation?

— Yes, I gave him a hint because we needed to hold on. We had to press higher up the pitch more aggressively, and I told the two central defenders to help the team in high pressing more actively. In the first half, we covered zones better and, in my view, did it very well. But after conceding a goal, we had to react.

— How do you forget this loss and prepare for the match against Iceland where only a win is needed?

— Unfortunately, but I think everyone understood that today's game with France decided little. I believe players came out with the right attitude. But I cannot say that anyone underperformed or didn't run enough. Everyone understands that the next match will be decisive. I am sure the boys will be fully prepared for it already now.

— For 90 minutes, the national team did not make a single shot on goal. Why was there no attacking play?

— Because we didn't get hold of the ball. In some places, we controlled it but failed to take it to the penalty area and create opportunities—we went into attack with insufficient strength. France worked very well and quickly with the ball, and taking it away was extremely difficult. That's why, unfortunately, we did not create any chances.

— In the first half, Ocheretnyk took on a lot of responsibility but often found himself without support except for Yaremchuk. Why were there gaps between attack and defense?

— When you defend for long periods, you simply don't have the strength to counterattack. We talked about this with players before the match and during halftime breaks: against France, it's important not to sit too low in your own penalty area. But the opponent forced us to defend deep, and we rarely managed to come out into counterattacks.

— Did the players execute the game plan and are you satisfied with their actions?

— I am pleased with the first half. We did not plan to sit so low in our own penalty area—this was forced upon us by the opponent. The French often changed direction of attack, and after the first half, we looked exhausted.

When you come out to play knowing that it doesn't decide much... Players probably felt this too: the main thing is to hold on.

Recall, the next CH-2026 qualifier match will be played by blue-and-yellow against Iceland's national team on November 16 (kickoff at 19:00 Kyiv time).