Rotan: It was a small lesson for the guys. They saw that it is possible to beat the World Cup semi-finalists

Head coach Olympic team of Ukraine Ruslan Rotan commented on the game and his team’s winning result in the second round of Group B Olympics 2024 against Morocco (2:1).

“We have to give credit to our guys, who were well-disposed. Even when we were down a man, we were striving for a result, fighting for it. They deserved it, 100%. This only evened out our chances. We have the last match in the group, where we shouldn’t look at who we’re playing against. I think it was a small lesson for the guys, and we have a lot of new players who are playing in such tournaments for the first time. They saw that it was possible to beat the Moroccan national team, there were players who reached [полуфинала ЧМ]. We must give credit for that.”

“Next comes the recovery, play in two [дня] on the third – very difficult. We must focus on how to recover better. This is very important for us. We will be looking forward to the match. We already know Argentina. Our small final against Argentina will be in the group. And as for the game – if we show the same game as in the first half – it does not matter who is against us, we will play from a position of strength. In the second half, the game changed a little, and we left a lot of energy when we were left in the minority. But I want to give credit to the guys again. They deserved it, they deserved it for our warriors, for Ukraine. I want to congratulate everyone on Ukraine’s first victory at the Olympic Games.”

“A penalty and Saluk’s expulsion? That’s double punishment. I think referees should limit themselves to that [пенальти без красной карточки]. You know how they judge at these Olympic Games: if they give such a penalty in the first match, then you shouldn’t ask questions. You shouldn’t pay attention to everything that concerns the refereeing – you should look at yourself and your game. The most important thing now is to recover. We should come in a super mood, get all the emotions that are left for this match. This little finale will decide the fate of going further.”

“It’s psychology. If our players had played at the level of the Moroccan national team, we would have played at the same level in the second half. It’s psychology, it changes a lot. This is the guys’ first tournament, their first matches with fans. I said before the game that this is unusual for many of us, that we are used to waiting for anxiety, playing in front of empty stands. We haven’t seen this for a long time. Honor and praise to the guys. I think this experience will only be a plus for them. We don’t need anything, no ovations. We are doing our job, no matter who. We have three points, a tough opponent is ahead, the favorite not only of our group, but of the entire tournament. I want the guys to hear us: we came out for this match as if it were our last and gave everything we had to win.”

Today Ukraine won its historic first victory at the Olympic Games. At first, the match against Morocco was going well for Rotan’s team – they won the first half and could have scored more.

After the break, as in the first round against Iraq (1:2), the game of the blue-yellows was broken by a penalty, to which, after reviewing the video replay, a direct red card was added for Vladimir Saluk. Ukraine endured a very difficult half hour in the minority, and at the end of the injury time managed to snatch victory thanks to the efforts of substitutes Oleh Fedor (assist) and Igor Krasnopir (goal).

Argentina beat Iraq 3-1 in the other group match, and all four teams in Group B now have three points.

In the final round of the group stage, Ukraine will play Argentina, while Morocco will face Iraq. Both matches will take place on Tuesday, July 30.