Heorhii Sudakov analyzed Ukraine's defeat to France in their opening 2026 World Cup qualification match, highlighting tactical issues that plagued the team especially in the first half.
The Ukrainian midfielder didn't shy away from identifying what went wrong against the formidable French side.
"If we talk about the first half, it was very difficult. We probably weren't aggressive enough in our pressing and sat too deep, allowing our opponents too many opportunities," Sudakov explained after the match.
According to the Ukrainian international, his team struggled to transition into attack even when they managed to win the ball. With eight or nine players packed in their penalty area, space was at a premium, and the French pressure made it nearly impossible to build meaningful attacks.
Things improved somewhat after the break, though.
"In the second half, we decided to play more aggressively both with and without the ball, pressing higher up the pitch. We actually created some chances and could have scored. Just didn't have luck on our side," he added.
Sudakov was particularly candid about the quality gap between the teams, singling out Kylian Mbappe as a player of exceptional caliber.
"We understand the level of these footballers. Mbappe is simply on another level. He needs just half a chance to take advantage," the midfielder noted.
Interestingly, he also highlighted Michael Olise's brilliance, who scored in the first half. "He's a player of incredible quality. They don't need many opportunities to convert them."
When questioned about his defensive responsibilities during the first goal, Sudakov admitted his mistake: "I saw Tchouameni running but didn't notice Olise. I thought our defensive midfielders would cover, but our defenders were focused on the player with the ball."
Ukraine will now face Azerbaijan away in their next qualification fixture. Can Sudakov and his teammates bounce back from this disappointing start to their World Cup campaign?
