Match № 23

The match № 23, group D, sixth tournament day

UKRAINE – LATVIA 2:0 (1:0)

January 8th, 2014, St. Petersburg, Peterburgsky SCC, 700 spectators

Referees: Artur Karimov, Kirill Bolshakov, Igor Sukharenok

Ukraine: Soldatenko (c), Kuksenko, Paliukh, Luchkevych (Lobay, 46), Dushyn (Nechai, 62), Kvych, Byesyedin, Zotko, Klots, Kaplienko, Klak (Stefurak, 84)

Head coach: Aleksandr Golovko

Latvia: Kurakins, Jekabsons (Keirans, 59), Kolesovs, Bezushchonoks (c), Litvinskis (Zhmilevskis, 51), Jurkovskis (Krushatins, 86), Strazdinsh, Dubrovskis (Mordatenko, 78), Balinsh, Kupchs (Vasiljevs, 38), Chernomordijs

Head coach: Vladimirs Babichevs

Goals: Kvych (32), Byesyedin (81)

Yellow cards: Zotko (43), Kolesovs (65)

Best players: Artyom Byesyedin, Antonijs Chernomordijs

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After match comments

Head coach of the team Ukraine Aleksandr Golovko:

– I want to thank our opponents for the skilled play. It is the merit of Latvian team that there wasn't total definition of the winner till the last minute. With their insistence they kept on the stretch all participants and audience of this match.

– You gave the title of the best player to Artem Besedin in one of the previous matches, talking that it is the advance for him. Did he live up the expectations?

– How do you think? Certainly, he did. Today we named him again the best player of the match. He is a young man and he needs to work much. Such a schedule – 3 matches in 5 days is tough enough for adults even. But Artem's performance today is worth compliment. If he continues to play like this, he will become a very skilled professional.

– Can you make any conclusions after the group stage?

– We played three matches with different results in each of them. We got much new information, cleared up some mistakes. We played every game as the last one. Somebody can tell that there was lack of luck. I should say that the luck is the result of hard work. It means we didn't complete our work.

– Your goalkeeper Soldatenko is the captain of the team. Was it you who appointed him?

– The choice of the captain is very important. In adult teams it can be done by the squad, on youth level, I'm sure it is the task for the coach. Young players can choose the friend, but not the leader, that is why coach must help them. The captain must obtain different qualities and the playing skills are the most important; the player, who doesn't show the leading play, doesn't show the character on the pitch, can't use 100% of his forces cannot be named captain. The captain must be demanding to himself first and then to the partners.

Head coach of the team Latvia Vladimirs Babichevs:

– The result is fair, the Ukraine was better today. We lack the resource. But I'm grateful to my guys. They didn't stop after the missed goal, they didn't give up, they struggled to the end as they could.

– In the end of the first and of the second halves your players obviously couldn't catch up the opponents. Is it tiredness?

– It's all in complex, physical tiredness and moral weariness. It is January, we all met just recently and are still getting to know each other.

– Your first substitution was still in the first half. Was it made to strengthen the team or the reason was injury?

– I'm not sure I can answer in two words. We currently have a situation when all the players are far from their best condition. To win you have to show high-level playing in each game. So far my players run out of their forces. But I'm still very grateful to them. Up to the last match we had good chances to get the first place in the group, and this is a very good index of our playing.