Frustration after EM defeat

Slovakia’s Milan Skriniar: “It’s a shame”

Slovakia captain Milan Skriniar(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

After trailing 1:0, Ukraine were able to celebrate a 2:1 victory over Slovakia on Friday. Read what the protagonists had to say after the game here.

Francesco Calzona (Slovakia coach): 
"It was a tough game. I was happy with some moments, not so much with others. I'm happy with the team. I can't blame them. We were better in the first half. Our opponents have great quality. Ukraine are 20 places ahead of us in the FIFA rankings. We'll do our best to progress. Against Romania, we're playing a team that's fit and on fire after the win against Ukraine. They're a quality team, but we want to win and get to the last 16."

Milan Skriniar (Slovakia captain): 
"The first half was okay from our side, but we can't play the way we played in the second half. We didn't follow the instructions, we allowed our opponents to turn the game around. To miss a chance like that after taking the lead in the first half is a shame, but we have to keep our heads up. We have to address the things where we weren't good - especially in the second half - and get better."

Serhij Rebrow (Ukraine coach): 
"We did very badly against Romania, but they showed a different spirit now and deserved to win. We have to focus on the next game, but it was a very important win for the team and the country. I didn't shout at the break. We had to react in the second half, we didn't press high enough. We understood that this was our chance and that was what I said. I said don't look at the score and go for it."

Mykola Shaparenko (Ukraine goalscorer): 
"I want to say that the first game against Romania was a great lesson for us and allowed us to be on the point today. You could see our mental strength today. We followed our coach's instructions and ideas and I'm very proud of that. When we equalized, it gave us belief and inspiration to turn the game around. The support from our fans was excellent and we just had to go on and win."

Volodymyr Selensky(Bild: APA/AP)

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Selenskyj: 
"Believe in each other. Help each other. Fight for each other." (Referring to the Russian invasion): This is what the Ukrainians need now, he said, what holds them together and ultimately gives them the chance to win despite all the setbacks. "That's exactly what the Ukraine national team is doing today. Keep it up, men!"