Dynamo head coach Ihor Kostiuk answered journalists’ questions at the post-match press conference following the first leg of the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round against Greek side PAOK, which ended in a narrow 3–2 victory for the visitors.
– This was the first half of a two-legged tie. With the score at 2:3, how would you assess Dynamo’s chances ahead of the return leg?
– PAOK are an experienced team, and we saw that today. Teams of this level punish you for your mistakes, and that’s exactly what happened in the first half. We conceded two goals despite taking the lead. Those mistakes affected the team psychologically.
After the break, however, we got back into the game, controlled possession and created chances. We scored once and had opportunities to score again. I believe we still have every chance. We will prepare for the next game because this is a team we can compete against. What we saw in the second half gives us reasons to be optimistic.
– In your opinion, what does the team need to improve?
– Of course, we know what we need to improve. First of all, we have to be better organised and avoid making mistakes. Today there were too many misplaced passes, especially in the first half, when we lost the ball in simple situations.
I believe we can fix those issues and become more confident defensively. We need to avoid such mistakes, react quicker after losing possession and reorganise faster. Going forward, I think we have enough potential, so we’ll make some adjustments. In the first half we weren’t aggressive enough in attack, although credit must also go to the opponents, who reorganised well and controlled the ball. We still have our chances, and we’ll do everything we can to achieve victory.
– During the final 30 minutes, Dynamo had full control of the game and dominated possession. What prevented the team from converting its chances and equalising?
– It was simply our finishing. We also adjusted our formation a little. We had planned to do that even before the game, but today our inability to convert chances cost us.
– Guerrero played on the left wing. How satisfied were you with his performance in that position?
– Of course, we were pleased with his contribution in the move that led to Brazhko’s goal. At the same time, we expect our wide players to create chances, play more aggressively and add more attacking threat. Overall, he also worked well defensively. As you saw, PAOK created fewer dangerous attacks down their right flank – our left – because Guerrero did a good job defensively. But we also need him to be more dangerous going forward.
– After the final whistle, the team ran towards the PAOK supporters’ section. What exactly happened?
– It was a deliberate provocation by the supporters of the Greek team. They intentionally brought a russian flag. You saw that our supporters moved towards that stand during the match, and after the game our players also expressed their outrage.
I repeat: I believe it was a deliberate provocation by people who do not understand that our country is at war – a war that is causing tremendous suffering, destroying homes and claiming the lives of our civilians. It was a very unpleasant situation.
We thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine for protecting us and giving us the opportunity to play football and represent our country on the international stage.
