Rebrov lost his sixth match at the helm of the national team. In four of them, the blue-yellows conceded three goals
Nikolay Matvienko (center). Photo – Getty Images
“We have two friendly games ahead where we can test the candidates. The goal is to get to the World Cup, and we will prepare for this,” said Serhiy Rebrov, head coach of the Ukrainian national team , after the return match with Belgium (0:3) in the League of Nations playoffs. The first friendly match that the Ukrainian coach mentioned will be the game against New Zealand in Canada as part of the Canadian Shield Four Nations tournament . The upcoming match, scheduled for June 7, will be Rebrov's 25th and will take place exactly two years after the specialist was appointed head coach of the Ukrainian national team.
See also: Belgium vs. Ukraine. Video review of the match for March 23
The defeat to Belgium was Rebrov's sixth at the helm of the national team in 24 matches (11 wins and seven draws). At the same time, in four lost matches (Belgium, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic) and one draw (3:3 – with Germany), the blue-yellows conceded three goals. Ukraine scored three or more goals in a game four times: in addition to the match with Germany, these were matches with North Macedonia (3:2), Malta (3:1), Moldova (4:0) and the first game with Belgium (3:1).
At the same time, the period from the 70th to the 86th minute of the return match with Belgium, when the Ukrainians conceded three goals, is the worst for the blue-and-yellows under Rebrov. The Devils needed 16 minutes to score three goals. Previously, this was the friendly match with Poland, in which Ukraine conceded three times in 19 minutes (from the 11th to the 30th).
At Euro 2024, Romania scored three goals against the Ukrainian team in 28 minutes (from 29th to 57th), the Czech Republic in the Nations League group – in 59 (21 – 80), Germany in a friendly match – in 85 (6+91).
It is noteworthy that only twice in its history has Ukraine conceded three goals faster than in the return match with Belgium. Thus, in 2009, under the leadership of Oleksiy Mykhailychenko, they lost to Turkey in a friendly match (0:3, conceding three times in six (!) minutes – from the 58th to the 64th.
In 2001, Ukraine, then led by Valeriy Lobanovskyi, lost to Germany 1:4 in the return match of the 2002 World Cup playoff qualifiers. In Dortmund, the blue-and-yellows conceded three times in 11 minutes – from the 4th to the 15th.
Scotland needed 17 minutes to score three goals (from the 70th to the 87th) in September 2022 in a match against Ukraine, led by Oleksandr Petrakov, in a League of Nations match. In March 2002, Romania beat the blue-yellows led by Leonid Buryak (4:1), scoring three goals in 18 minutes (from the 12th to the 30th).
In the first match in its history – in April 1992 – Ukraine, having lost to Hungary 1:3, conceded three goals in 22 minutes – from the 62nd to the 84th.