Dynamo U19 head coach Ihor Kostiuk commented on his team’s narrow 1:0 victory in the first leg of the UEFA Youth League Champions Path 3rd round against Scotland’s Hibernian:
– It was a difficult match due to the pitch conditions as it had been raining. Also the first half of the season is coming to an end so the players were a bit tired. We saw, for example, how Redushko performed in the first half after coming back from national team matches. Andreiko also looked a bit worn out as we approached the winter break. That’s why in the first half we didn’t play the kind of football we had planned.
There were many situations where we could have created chances and finished attacks but we lacked something in the final actions, made mistakes. At halftime we made adjustments, changed the tactics a bit – instead of transitioning quickly we moved the ball more slowly, used the wings, switched play from one flank to another. We reached the finishing zones – and that brought the result.
We should have scored a few more goals but ended up with just one. The advantage is small but we will take it with us to Scotland and think about how to play there. Our opponent is a very strong team that transitions into attack well and causes problems – exactly what we were concerned about. But in the second half we shut down our goal, made corrections and saw the match out.
– Once again centre-back Vladyslav Zakharchenko scored. He netted in the previous match against Brommapojkarna at the same stadium, in the same goal. Then it was from a free kick, now from a corner. Does this mean the set pieces are working?
– We positioned ourselves well and arrived in the zones where our players were supposed to deliver the ball. We also had good crosses that could be finished: one moment, another, a third. And I told Zakharchenko: “These are your favourite goals – two in a row”. Well done. This goal turned out to be the winning one today.
– In the first half the opponent had several chances including one with a rebound into almost an empty net but the shot went over. Was that luck?
– Yes, it was luck. As I said we emphasized to players that the opponent transitions well between the lines and accelerates quickly. When we lost the ball we had to reorganize immediately and not let them run into attacks. But fatigue took its toll: we started playing short passes, underhit passes near the opponents’ box. This was not part of the plan and it led to counterattacks, one of which almost ended in a goal.
At halftime we reminded players about this – and they listened. There was only one dangerous loss when Redushko and Andreiko played a short combination, leading to a counter but overall nothing else serious happened.
– Today Nazar Ivaskiv was absent due to injury and unfortunately Daniel Dekhtiar also had to be substituted because of one. What happened to him?
– Dekhtiar missed a few weeks and it shows – he cannot yet play two full halves. He had a two-week pause and of course his fitness dropped. After an injury you need time to regain form but for now he cannot last the whole match. Plus the pitch quality: we played on a very soft surface today but two days ago trained on artificial turf – such transitions also have an effect. But we have substitutes and they did their job so we finished the match logically.
– There are three matches left this year: two in the league and one more in the UEFA Youth League, away to Hibernian in two weeks. Could it be easier in Scotland if the weather conditions are better?
– The pitch quality plays a huge role because, if it’s poor, the quality of football suffers a lot. In Scotland it’s better. I was there, watched their match against Korriku – they have a good stadium with fan support and light-and-music shows. I think it will be an interesting experience for the boys.
