Andrea Maldera, head coach of the Ukraine national team, shared his thoughts following their Nations League clash against Hungary. The match, held on Friday in Budapest, was decided by a solitary goal from Daniil Sikan, securing a 1-0 victory.
“I am definitely pleased and very happy,” Maldera said in an interview with MEGOGO. “However, I mentioned last week that maintaining balance is crucial. This match is over, and we achieved a solid win, but starting tomorrow, our focus must shift to the next game.”
When asked about the decision to play with two strikers and the outcome of that tactic, Maldera responded, “From a gameplay perspective, we can still improve and progress. When we managed to execute our planned moves, we created genuinely dangerous opportunities. The players really did well. I want to highlight that three players made their national team debuts today — Krupskiy, Drambaev, and Krasnopir. We are a new, young team, so it’s natural not to be perfect. The key today was the team’s unity and character.”
Regarding the debutants’ performances, Maldera praised them highly: “They played excellently. Krupskiy started in a stadium with seventy thousand spectators and faced opponents from the English Premier League. After receiving a yellow card, I didn’t want to risk a red. Krasnopir integrated very well into the game — it’s a pity he didn’t convert a crucial chance to make it 2-0.
Drambaev came on during a difficult phase when tactics mattered less and resilience was key. He brought tremendous energy. Initially, I considered bringing on Yarmolenko or Zubkov, but due to cramps suffered by Sudakov, I opted for Drambaev, whose dynamism helped us.”
Maldera also discussed the role of the wingers: “Defensively, they were expected to operate as traditional wide players — maintaining width and pressuring the central defenders when possible. However, by nature, Sudakov and Tsihanov perform best when close to each other rather than isolated on the flanks. When they found free spaces between the lines, the attack gained real sharpness.”
Addressing an incident near the end of the match, Maldera explained, “I only saw a member of the opposing coaching staff grab one of my players. If it’s a scuffle between players on the pitch, they will sort it out themselves, but no one from the opposition’s staff has the right to touch my players. I intervened and told them to leave the boys alone. It was just normal football emotions, nothing serious — these things happen.”
Looking ahead to their next opponent, Georgia, Maldera acknowledged the tight schedule: “We hope to be ready. It won’t be easy — there’s a long trip and a tough game ahead, but all teams face similar conditions. We knew the schedule in advance. Our main task now is to recover as quickly as possible.”
