"Surprised by indifference": Shakhtar legend assesses the fiasco of the Ukrainian national team at the start of the Nations League

Legendary Shakhtar Donetsk footballer Oleksandr Kucher expressed confidence that the players of the Ukrainian national team came out for the match against Albania at the start of the Nations League without the proper desire. The former Orange-and-Blacks captain also admitted that he did not expect Serhii Rebrov's men to lose to the Euro 2024 participant.

Kucher said this in an interview with Ukrainian Football. The ex-defender, who played 57 matches for the national team, recalled the fiasco in the game against Romania at Euro 2024 and noted that the Blue and Yellows players once again acted poorly in standard positions at their goal, which cost them three points.

"I didn't expect the Romanian syndrome to repeat itself. I didn't think that Ukraine would lose again to an opponent who is lower in class and selection of players, with all due respect to Albania. I was surprised by the indifference of our players in the first half. I didn't see any desire or thirst for victory in our players. We played poorly on set pieces again. I'm talking about the first goal, first of all, and in general, the Ukrainians lost many combats yesterday. Team actions in defense again left much to be desired... These are the main reasons for the defeat, I think," Kucher said.

As a reminder, Ukraine lost to Albania, opening the scoring in the match. On September 10, the Blue and Yellows will play away to the Czech Republic in the second round of the League of Nations.

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