Rebrov: We had a problem – we allowed the Maltese to create too many chances

Head coach Ukrainian national team Sergey Rebrov commented on the victory over the team Malta (3:1) in the eighth round of the qualifying round for Euro 2024. According to him, the blue-yellows created problems for themselves in the first half.

“We created problems for ourselves in the first half, but we solved them in the second. We lost the fight, missed a goal, but returned to the game. The fight was very difficult. Everyone must understand that the result today was very important. I am grateful to the players that they received it. But we must improve our game.

Mudryk’s goal? We all congratulated him. This is a very important step for Mikhail. He scored and created chances for himself and his teammates. We got three important points, let’s move on.

The opponents played great today. But we had a problem – we allowed the Maltese to create too many chances. The hosts had no tournament motivation; they wanted to show a good game in front of their stands. I think they succeeded. As I said, we had a problem, especially in the first half, when the result put pressure on us.

It is always difficult for Ukraine to play against opponents who are closing hard. Our previous meeting with Malta showed this. This is a very compact team. It’s difficult for any team in such conditions if you don’t score an early goal. And especially if you miss. But we tried to come back, scored two goals, it was very important to do this in the first half. In the second, we didn’t create many chances, but we attacked and tried to score the third goal to feel more comfortable,” Rebrov said.

The Ukrainian team scored 13 points. The blue-and-yellows are in second place in Group C. England is in the lead, with Italy in third place. Squadra Azzurra has 10 points, but played one match less than Sergei Rebrov’s team.

In their final match, Ukraine will play against Italy on November 20. The blue-yellows will play their home match in Leverkusen.