Former Blue-Yellows forward on Belgium vs. Ukraine match in the Nations League
Ivan Kalyuzhny and Romelu Lukaku in the Belgium – Ukraine match. Photo – Getty Images
The Ukrainian national team failed to get into Group A of the Nations League . Serhiy Rebrov's team lost to Belgium on aggregate . After winning in Murcia, Ukraine suffered a crushing 0:3 defeat in Genk . We discussed all the significant moments of the Belgium-Ukraine confrontation with the former forward of the Ukrainian national team and now the coach of Shakhtar U-19) Oleksiy Belik.
See also: Belgium vs. Ukraine. Video review of the match for March 23
— In the first match in Murcia, our team secured a good lead by winning 3:1. What were your expectations for the second game?
— Overall, the Ukrainian national team had a good margin of safety — a two-goal advantage speaks for itself. Of course, our national team players, coaching staff, and fans wanted us to move up a class and play in Group A of the Nations League in the future. As for the Belgians, we read Kevin De Bruyne’s statements the day before the return match, when he said that it would not be a big deal for Belgium if they got into Group B of the Nations League. Like, they wouldn’t give it their all. As it turned out, these were false statements from the leader of our opponents.
— There were only two days between the two games. What can the head coach change in this short period of time?
— You can change tactics, make changes to the lineup. We all knew that the Ukrainian national team had a problem with its right back. The 3:1 victory, it seems to me, influenced the decision of our coaching staff to start with three central defenders – Zabarnyi, Matviyenko and Svatok. I think that in this situation, the fullbacks should be able to turn on the speed, make 40-50 meter dashes. And if Mykolenko fits these criteria, then Zinchenko does not have such speed. Jeremy Doku, who played on the flank, simply did not give Oleksandr Zinchenko the opportunity to think about the attack. That is why we did not have a counter-play. Who would have helped us in this case? Mykhailo Mudryk or Oleksandr Nazarenko, I am simply talking about the profile of the necessary player.
Belgium – Ukraine. Photo – Getty Images
— In the first half we only reached the opponent's goal once, but Zinchenko's shot from outside the penalty area was inaccurate. The rest of the time we defended in an organized manner, although you can't say that the hosts had any great chances to open the scoring…
— The Belgian team was constantly attacking and was near Lunin's goal. It is clear that the hosts spent a lot of time attacking, being near our goal.
Our opponent has a diverse line of attacking players. Lukaku is a powerful forward who can shoot with both feet. Although our defenders have been able to cope with him for a while. Doku is a sharp, explosive player. Trossard is a technical footballer. And De Bruyne is a master who leads the entire game of his team. Yes, many say that he is already old, he has crossed the 33-year mark, but he can do everything on the football field.
— In the 69th minute of the match, Serhiy Rebrov threw three new players into the fight – Mykhaylichenko, Tsygankov and Dovbyk. And a minute later the hosts opened the scoring. Is there a pattern to this? Maybe the guys who came on as substitutes had not yet joined the game?
— Here you need to understand that the main team players were already tired by this time. Mykolenko was injured, Vanat had a yellow card. But replacing Sudakov with Tsygankov raises a question. It’s easy to talk about it after the final whistle. Maybe it would have been better to replace Sudakov with Shaparenko. Probably, the head coach of the national team kept in mind the Tsygankov-Dovbyk duo that formed last year in Girona. In the second half, it was clear how often Yegor Yarmolyuk made mistakes, there was an option for Nazarina and Buyalsky to replace. Here you need to ask Rebrov what goal he was pursuing.
— As it turned out, Romelu Lukaku's goals decided everything in this match. He scored in the first match, he scored twice in the second match. How can you contain such a powerful center forward?
— Only collectively – one fights with him, another player covers. It is clear that Lukaku is strong in single combats, skillfully plays with his body. For a long time we dealt with him, but…
— In the second goal, could the referee have whistled a foul when Romelu slightly pushed Matvienko?
— Probably, Daniel Siebert could have recorded a violation of the rules at this point, and no one would have had any complaints. But he decided to continue the game. Let's say that in this episode there was home refereeing from the referee. And in the third goal, Mykhaylichenko and Matviyenko did not figure out who would move forward on the attacking player of the Belgian national team, and who would help Svatok in the fight with Lukaku. In my opinion, Mykhaylichenko should have moved forward, and Nikolay Matviyenko should have helped Svatok. The pass went through from Vanaken and Lukaku did everything masterfully.
— How can one correctly formulate one of the conclusions of this match: three players of the Belgian national team De Bruyne, Doku and Lukaku beat the entire Ukrainian national team, or were these leaders stronger than the leaders of the Ukrainian national team?
— I would put it differently. The attacking players of the Belgian national team should thank the young defenders of their team, who played great in defense, in one-on-one play, and gave the team leaders a chance to prove themselves in attack. I would add Vanaken here. And already in attack, the hosts simply tormented our defensive line.
— Is it possible to demand more from our football players? Maybe this is our level?
— I think everyone has seen the class of the Belgian national team players, the clubs they play for. Especially now, when the situation in Ukraine is extremely difficult. We must admit that there are teams in Europe that are superior to our team in many components of the game. To achieve a positive result, many factors must coincide. As it happened in the first match in Murcia.
We can't stick to our guns for the entire match. Yesterday, in parallel with the Belgium-Ukraine match, I also watched the game in Valencia, Spain-Netherlands. So, both teams played on the attack, sometimes the hosts went forward, sometimes the guests. The game in Valencia was played on opposite courses. In Genk, there was nothing like that.