“I am very pleased with them.” Bournemouth coach praised Zabarnyi.

The head coach of Bournemouth praises the Ukrainian defender Zabarnyi and the Argentine defender Senesi

Andoni Iraola, the head coach of Bournemouth, spoke highly of the play of his team's central defenders – Ukrainian Illia Zabarnyi and Argentine Marcos Senesi in the match against Manchester City (2:1). According to him, they showed courage, managed to control the space on the field, and effectively fulfill duties.

«I think they were very brave because it is difficult to play with the space we had behind throughout the entire match against Haaland, who always poses a threat. At the end of the meeting, the game was different: they pressed us, and we had to defend against crosses and deal with difficult situations. We had to play not only against Erling, the central defenders of Manchester City also went forward – everyone pressed. I think they really did very well with their job. They work stunningly in training», – he said.

Iraola also noted that these two defenders put him in a difficult position because they play with great confidence, making it hard for other players to get playing minutes.

«Sometimes I feel unfair towards others, but it is difficult. Marcos and Zaba put me in a very difficult position as it is challenging to give playing minutes to other players. They show themselves well in ball possession. I believe Zaba especially improved his skills in making quick decisions while working with the ball. And in defense, they play very reliably, they handle it superbly. I would say that they also achieve certain leadership, in the sense that they care not only about their positions but also about the structure overall. And I am very pleased with them», – the coach added.

The head coach of Roma Ivan Jurić explained why the Ukrainian forward Artem Dovbyk failed to play in the match against Torino.

It is also worth noting the success of the Ukrainian women's national soccer team, which advanced to the play-off final of the qualification for the 2025 European Championship after beating Turkey in the first round.