According to the author of the miracle goal against North Macedonia, strict adherence to coaching guidelines helped to win a strong-willed victory over Malta
Defender Ukrainian national team Alexander Karavaev spoke about his own goal against North Macedonia (2:0), the difficult victory over Malta (3:1) and the mood for the decisive confrontation with Italy.
“My goal against North Macedonia? It turned out that the opposing team gave all their strength to score at least one goal, and I was fresh because I had just entered the field, so I had enough strength to shoot. I saw that the goalkeeper came out – I had to hit the goal.”
“We have a friendly atmosphere in the team, all the players talk about it. We can get together in someone’s room, in the hall, after lunch or dinner, and we can talk for hours. This way we raise our morale, it adds understanding on the football field. This atmosphere contributes to achieving good results.”
“I wouldn’t say that in the game with Malta we didn’t take our opponents seriously. In recent years, all teams have been leveling off, players are playing in stronger championships. The meeting was two days later on the third, a sharp climate change… The most important thing is that we returned to the game and got the desired result.”
“There are matches when we don’t show the game that is expected of us. But I have never seen guys come out giving up or not wanting to win. On the football field, something may not go according to plan3, for example, our missed goal against Malta. Therefore, the main thing is to follow the coach’s instructions. If we stick to them, the desired result always comes at the end of the match.”
“We are aiming to win against Italy. We understand that at this stage everything depends on us. We got six points, the most important game is ahead. We have time to prepare for it. The most important thing is that everyone arrives healthy, and we will do everything to win.”
Let us remind you that Karavaev took part in both October matches of the Ukrainian national team. First, he came on as a substitute for Mikhail Mudrik in the 87th minute against North Macedonia and managed to score a memorable goal. Against Malta, Alexander appeared in the starting lineup and played 76 minutes.
The Ukrainian team scored 13 points in seven matches. 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.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
