Ukraine defender Ilya Zabarnyi shared his thoughts on the team’s mindset following their 0-3 defeat to Northern Ireland in the UEFA Nations League.
“You all saw it for yourselves. We conceded those goals… The opponents created chances, but we failed to score. It’s straightforward. We’ll review everything. Of course, it’s frustrating to lose a game like this. Today, we gave our all—I saw the determination—but we couldn’t generate the necessary opportunities up front. I will take responsibility for some moments. There were times I didn’t perform well enough and should have been more reliable. We’ll analyze and keep moving forward. This isn’t our last match; we still have games ahead.”
When asked about the second goal, which involved a two-on-two situation with Ocheretko against the opposition, Zabarnyi explained, “No, that was purely a game moment. It happens when you lose track of a player in the penalty area. Certainly, it shouldn’t have happened, but it did. I could have played better. Let me put it this way: today, the team genuinely wanted to win. Unfortunately, football can be unpredictable. We are strong. I sincerely want to thank all the fans who came to the stadium and supported us. We won’t hang our heads and will keep pushing forward.”
Regarding the team’s performance in duels, Zabarnyi commented, “Honestly, I didn’t feel we failed badly in the battles—our commitment and desire were clear. However, in crucial moments, we did fall short and made mistakes during set-piece situations. We’ll work on those errors. We have another match ahead, and we’ll prepare for it accordingly.”
