Ukraine suffered their first defeat under Andrea Maldera, losing 3-0 to Northern Ireland in the third round of the Nations League. The Ukrainians conceded twice by the 22nd minute, and after the break their opponents turned the score into a rout.
This was reported by the Ukrainian Association of Football.
The match took place in Trnava, Slovakia. Northern Ireland opened the scoring as early as the ninth minute, when Ciaran Brown found the net following a corner.
Ukraine’s situation worsened in the 22nd minute. Northern Ireland launched a counterattack that was finished by Isaac Price to make it 2-0.
Maldera’s team tried to get back into the game but failed to create enough danger in front of the opposition goal.
After the break, Northern Ireland struck for a third time. In the 61st minute, Brown completed his brace and set the final score at 3-0.
The result took Northern Ireland to seven points and sole possession of first place in Group B2.
In the other group match, Hungary defeated Georgia 1-0. After three rounds, Hungary have four points and sit ahead of Ukraine, who also have four, on additional criteria. Ukraine dropped to third place, while Georgia remain on one point.
After the match, Andrea Maldera rejected the suggestion that large-scale squad rotation was the main reason for the defeat. Against Northern Ireland, the coach made eight changes to the starting lineup compared with the previous game against Georgia, after having changed ten players in that match.
According to Maldera, the coaching staff considered it important to manage the players’ energy and resources properly.
“I don’t think what you are talking about was the reason for today’s result. It was very important to manage the players’ resources and energy properly,” the coach said.
Maldera believes Ukraine played reasonably well in possession but were punished in individual moments.
“Practically their first two shots resulted in two goals. After that, it became quite difficult to play with that scoreline,” he said.
The coach also explained his decision to use Valerii Bondar and Mykola Matviyenko on the flanks of the defense, even though both are naturally central defenders. According to him, Illia Zabarnyi has stronger attacking qualities, while the personnel situation forced the staff to look for unconventional solutions.
Maldera also commented on Oleksandr Varfolomeiev’s absence from the pitch. The coach had planned to bring him on in the second half, but Heorhii Sudakov’s injury forced him to change the substitution plan.
The head coach acknowledged that set pieces once again became a problem. Ukraine conceded the first goal from a corner, while the third, according to Maldera, came as a result of an individual mistake by goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.
“The third goal was a mistake. Unfortunately, these things happen. That goal had nothing to do with preparation – Riznyk made a mistake,” Maldera said.
Despite the 3-0 scoreline, the coach said the team did not deserve such a heavy defeat.
“The boys gave everything they had. Now we have to accept the result we saw on the pitch. We need to keep our balance, improve where necessary and not become demoralized. I believe the result was harsher than we deserved,” Maldera concluded.
Ukraine will play their next match on Monday, October 5, against Hungary. Kick-off is at 21:45 Kyiv time.
