The head coach of Ukraine’s U-19 national team reflected on their 2-1 victory over Serbia and their advancement to the European Championship semifinals.
“When the final whistle blew, what did you feel — did you want to jump or cry?”
“Jump. I was genuinely very happy. I never imagined we would secure qualification for the World Cup with two games to spare. And we did it quite confidently, earning six points in such a tough group. I’m extremely proud of the players, every single one of them. I’m also proud of the staff for their hard work.”
“At this very moment, I’m the happiest person because it’s not as easy as it looks. It’s been a long journey, as I said before the game. It’s not just these two weeks we spent working in Poland or these two matches. To get here, we had to put in a lot of effort.”
“How would you describe Vitaliy Hlyut in one word?”
“He’s a surprise. A surprise for us and, I think, for himself as well. He joined the squad literally three days before departure. We realized we needed more players in better physical condition, at a different level. We just said, ‘There’s Vitalik Hlyut,’ who I was with two weeks ago in Croatia for the 2008 team. We called him up, the club released him. We planned to use him mainly as a substitute for 15-20 minutes because we know his qualities. But circumstances led to him starting the match, and today he was simply outstanding.”
“That’s more a sign of character. It was the right response after conceding the goal. We didn’t panic or try to speed up the game or make mistakes. We played exactly as we planned before the match.”
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