Eduard Kozik: The war in Ukraine doubled the motivation for the result

Shakhtar U19 defender and Ukraine U team captain Eduard Kozik about participation team in the elite round of qualifying for Euro-2022.

– Share your emotions after the last match. Have you already managed to make the first analysis of the game and the result?

– I would like to thank the organizers for the conditions that were provided to our team. Impressions from the game in the elite round were twofold. On the one hand, in a short period of time we did a good job and achieved a good result. On the other hand, there was a bit of a residue, because in the last game we could score more and finish in first place due to this.

– What did you feel when you found out that even a strong-willed victory over the Netherlands did not secure the first place for the team?

– It was a shame that we couldn’t go further by the number of yellow cards. Anything happens in football. Such an outcome of the elite round is bad, but much worse is the fact that people die every day in Ukraine.

compared to rivals had significantly less match practice in the 2022 year?

– Of course , I’m happy with our game. Indeed, other teams were in good shape, while ours was only training for two and a half weeks due to the war in the country, we also had no championship matches. We showed a good result and gained very useful international experience. I repeat: we lacked the realization of our moments, and perhaps good luck. Games were given to us, but in the final stage the ball simply did not go into the goal, it happens. We need to work on the mistakes and move on.

– How did the events taking place in the country affect the mood of the team?

– While getting ready in the locker room for every match, we thought about the Ukrainians, about our defenders, who are now at the forefront. We took to the field with the desire to win, to bring even a little joy to our country and people. The war in Ukraine was doubly motivating for the result. I would like to thank our soldiers, low bow to them for the courage that they are now showing on the battlefield. Glory to Ukraine and Glory to ZSU!