Oleksandr Zinchenko says he’s warned Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk not to repeat what he did for Ukraine on Tuesday against Arsenal.
On his 15th appearance for his country on Tuesday, playing against Malta, Ukraine and Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk finally scored his first international goal.
It was an impressive effort, with the 22-year-old cutting inside from the left-hand touchline before curling the ball into the far corner of the net to make the score 3-1.
Mudryk was playing alongside Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, but the two will face off against each other this weekend, as the Gunners travel away to Chelsea.
Speaking after the game, Zinchenko said he’s issued a warning to his international teammate.
“I told him… ‘if you do or attempt to do that on Saturday, I’ll rip your balls off’,” Zinchenko told the media.
“But the most important thing for us was to take three points. I am very happy for him and for the national team, Mykhaylo’s goal was important because he calmed down the game a little.”
Zinchenko also contributed to Ukraine’s two wins over the international break, assisting their first goal against North Macedonia in a 2-0 victory.
Ukraine are now in a decent position to qualify for Euro 2024, knowing that a win over Italy in their final game would be enough to guarantee it, regardless of other results.
Before that, Zinchenko and Mudryk will turn their focus back to club football for the next month.