Pyatenko: We passed this League of Nations with dignity

Acting head coach Ukrainian women’s team on football Vladimir Pyatenko commented on the victory over Serbia in the final round of the group stage Nations League (1:0).

“After the first match, I told the girls that both in the first games and in the match against Poland – the only thing that upsets me is that there was no result. And the game, the attitude – everything was good, on the level. And this game with Poland was encouraging before the match against Serbia in terms of results. The only thing missing was self-confidence. And it only comes with victories. And this match added confidence that we can beat, score and play.”

“Any team sets maximum goals for itself. I would like to fight for promotion to League A because of the play-offs. If we look at it objectively, Poland is the strongest team in our group. Overall, based on the results of the draw, we got the strongest group.”

“Yes, we set maximum goals, we go out to win every game. Somewhere we were short, but we didn’t fail a single match out of these six, we played to win. Somewhere a draw or a goal was not enough to make it a draw. In the first match against Greece, victory was not enough. We missed some unnecessary goals, but this is football and we will always set ourselves the maximum goals.”

“We passed this Nations League with dignity, and these matches give me optimism as a coach. And then the second round in the League of Nations, where there will be a fight for access to the European Championship, and from all leagues there is a chance to qualify for the Euro.”

Let us remind you that the Ukrainian national team lost three opening matches in the Nations League, all with an identical score of 1:2 – to Serbia, Poland and Greece. Then Pyatenko’s team achieved revenge against the Greeks – 1:0. But in the fifth round, the blue-yellows lost to the Polish team (0:1) and lost their chances of promotion.

Thus, Ukraine scored 6 points, finished third and received the right to play in the playoffs for the opportunity to retain their place in the division.

According to the regulations, the three best teams that took third place (including Ukraine) will play in the play-offs against the three best teams that took second place in League C. The winners will play in League B as part of the Euro 2025 qualification; the losing teams will play in League C.

Possible rivals of the blue-yellows in the playoffs for maintaining their registration in Division B of the League of Nations are Latvia, Montenegro or Bulgaria. The matches will take place in February 2024.