Yaroslav Rakytskyy: Interesting to test myself

06-09-10 15:55:04

It panned out that Yaroslav Rakytskyy managed to change… the national squads in between the fixtures! FC Shakhtar defender assisted Ukraine U-21 against France and then joined Ukraine national team.

— Yaroslav, you played for U-21 in very important game against France. Could you share your impressions?
— The impressions left were only positive, as we reached the aim and qualified for the play-off. Judging by the result, we might qualify, as we were focused on a win...

— You struck the goal from the spot… Did you really come up to Konoplyanka asking him for a shot?
— Yes, everything happened just like you said. I came up to Yevhen with words: ‘Let me take a stab! I feel I’ll make it.’ He replied: ‘Right, go ahead!’

— Does a task achieved give you a certain peace and calm?
— I guess, yes. I am going to skip the last game against Slovenia. But when I left, Yakovenko was preparing the guys to grab a win, as our task now is to get into a seeded pot. So we will have to beat Slovenia to appear among four strongest teams.

— Who broke the news about your call-up?
— Pavlo Yakovenko told me: ‘Tomorrow you are joining Ukraine national team’. Both Kalitvintsev and Yakovenko made this mutual decision…

— Tomorrow you are about to take on Chile. What do you know about the opponents? Do you have any special build-up ahead of upcoming game?

— Now we are due to have a theory class, then a training session. I know, seven men competed in the World Cup came to Kyiv. The squad is good, so it will be interesting to test myself against such a team.

FC Shakhtar
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