The long-awaited and long-awaited match of the 2022 World Cup playoffs Scotland – Ukraine has finally taken place. And it ended with a bright and natural victory of our national team. Blue-Yellows head coach Oleksandr Petrakov said, “I am proud that we are Ukrainians, that we are honoring Ukraine in such a difficult time”.

We Ukrainians, in turn, are proud of the main football team of the country, which gave all its strength to win. And now, before the cherished dream – to get into the World Cup – it remains to make the last chance.

Another Alexander Zinchenko will say after the game in Hampden Park, “The match against Wales will be the match of our lives”. There is no doubt about it for all of us. But we’ll talk to Galli about the finale a little later. Now let’s recap the game against Scotland.

1. Petrakov chose a model of offensive play and the right tactics

Probably, the head coach of the Ukrainian national team, known for his conservatism and caution, had a great temptation to play as usual in Hampden Park. It seems to me that Petrakov would have chosen a more defensive course of action if this fight were not some kind of final, but simply “one of them”. But Alexander Vasilyevich bet on the offensive formula. And – most not both. In the starting lineup of the “blue-yellow”, our coaching team managed to combine, at first glance, “incompatible” figures: Malinovsky, Zinchenko and Tsygankov. The Ukrainian national team played according to a pronounced 4-3-3 scheme.

The position of the goalkeeper and the line of defense were completely predictable (Buschan – Karavaev, Matvienko, Zabarny, Mikolenko). As expected, Stepanenko replaced the breakwater. But then Petrakov decided to “throat” his own song: another neat defensive midfielder did not screw up Sidorchuk (as we assumed before the match), but replaced the drums and creative fullbacks – Malinovsky and Zinchenko perfectly duel in the middle of the field.

Everything was clear with the right flank of the midfield / attacking too: it was predicted that it would be occupied by Yarmolenko. However, as can be seen from the position of the only striker: he was exiled to Yaremchuk. But instead of the left winger, Petrakov freed Tsygankov, preferring him to Mudrik.

Despite the Clark team’s foreign field factor and frank “home charisma”, there were visiting teams at the start of the game from the start. Ukrainians were more mobile, more active, more purposeful. It was this and many other “more” things that allowed our team to finally get a good numerical reserve and win.

2. It is very difficult to overestimate the role of Yarmolenko in the Ukrainian national team

“Do you mean that he is old? He feels good, he is a young man. He still needs to play and play, ”said Petrakov, addressing Yarmolenko at the post-match press conference. And you can not say that the head coach of the Ukrainian national team is cunning, because Yarmola is just He wasn’t a real leader of the team and especially on the offense we’re used to in general. He was the engine of the team: “started”, organized, dispersed, “pushed”. He finally scored.

If you don’t know the situation – his age (he will already be 33 by the fall), lack of proper playing practice at the club, sometimes unwillingness to work on defense, then the former West Ham winger is almost the perfect match. He’s still really playing and playing.

After such a match, the club will certainly not complain about the lack of offers to continue his career. But if you look at tomorrow’s game, which will be more energy-intensive than the current match against Wales, I hope Yarmolenko can recover. First of all, physically. Because we need him not only motivated, but also fresh.

3. The question of the winner of the match had to be closed in the first half

After the first half there was a feeling that our guys could “close” the match in advance if you continued on the same line. And that feeling intensified even more when Yaremchuk scored the second goal in the 49th minute.

Until then, the host had not created a single truly dangerous episode: not one shot at the target, but five shots towards the target. But our moments were enough. There’s no need to list them all in this case – we’ve seen them all. Let me just say that – in such a game – it is imperative not to strain the nerves, who knows how to play – not against the most sophisticated opponent, but in character, “in the veins”.

Long lasting, playing and having a class advantage over the opponent, we allowed ourselves to be visibly slowed in the middle of the second half. Yes, this nuance is explained quite simply and logically (it will be discussed below), but at this moment, on the eve of the next fight, the blood from the nose should be taken into account: if you have a game, you should never let it go. “bird of luck”. Full.

4. Our players were physically fit for an hour of gameplay

Attacking is always harder than defending. This axiom is not just football. Now we know for sure. In addition, our national team did not have match training for almost half a year. And these sparring, held as part of the Slovenian bootcamp, could at best be called “education with increased responsibility”.

In addition, in Glasgow, the national team of Ukraine actually played from scratch, since this year with a similar squad has not yet played in official meetings. In general, there are many objective nuances that can and should be explained that somewhere after the 60th minute of the match the guests began to noticeably “sag”. And this “crash”, unfortunately, could have ended more sadly if the opponent had been more skilled and sophisticated.

5. Scotland managed to reverse the situation in the middle of the second half

The Scottish team surprised several times at once. First – at the beginning of the meeting. More precisely, the starting protocol: Clark gave a place in the basis of 19-year-old Hickey. In addition, the home team abandoned the usual three-stop game by trying to play four defenders.

However, all these distortions did not initially affect the layout of the game: this model was “painted” by the Ukrainian team.

Nevertheless, after an unsuccessful start, the Scots, unfortunately, managed to show their “crown”: character and the will to win. The score was 2:0 in our favor, the hosts obviously did not play well, they could have accepted more. But they found the strength in themselves for a breakthrough, almost a turning point. And in this regard, they should be given the right.

However, like us, all that ends well is good.

6. Petrakov’s substitutions refresh the game

After an hour of play, the guests began to give up their positions, while the hosts, who changed the game plan to a more offensive game, frankly began to “press”. It’s hard to say what would have happened if McGinn had turned down a ball in the 67th minute.

Still, this episode has become a “bell” for our coaches: changes have been made. Young and fresh Mudrik, Dovbik, Shaparenko and Zubkov appeared. These guys, especially the first two and, of course, Zinchenko, who should have been put in the same “stands” as Yarmolenko after this fight, helped push other people’s attacks into the middle of the field.

Yes, not everything went well in the offense at the end of the match. Especially for Dovbik who ruined two beautiful moments. But at the decisive moment Artem still did not disappoint.

7. For a meeting against Wales, you must search the internal reserves.

“The game against Wales will be a game of survival, not about physical condition or tactics,” Zinchenko said of our team’s next match. And you can hardly argue with Sasha. This is really the finale, all or nothing.

At the same time, however, I would like to point out that the questions of “physics” and tactics will still be relevant even in such a duel. Because for the match in Cardiff, it is very necessary for our players to recover physically first of all because I am sure they are in perfect order morally.

The tactical question is also very important: will Petrakov risk betting again on 4-3-3, the offensive game by the first point, or will he still choose a more cautious game model.

In this case, the Ukrainians gave a lot of physical and emotional strength in Glasgow, while Wales played only one duel against Poland in the League of Nations and lost in the meantime.

Overall the Wales match will be even more difficult for us. It’s clean. But I want to believe that in this match the Ukrainians will really play the “best fight of their lives”.