Dynamo Kyiv defender Kostiantyn Vivcharenko shared his emotions after the team’s 2:1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk and their progression to the Ukrainian Cup quarterfinal.
– What are your emotions after the match?
– The emotions are all positive because it’s been about three or four years since we last beat Shakhtar. And now, with this kind of win – where we completely outplayed them in the second half – it feels amazing.
– The atmosphere today was probably the best in a long time. How much energy did that give you?
– You saw how we were running in the second half. So a huge thanks to the fans who came and supported us today. We paid them back with a victory.
– It looked like two very different halves from Dynamo: in the first you were mostly defending and in the second you dominated. Why was there such a contrast?
– Maybe there was some nervousness in the first half. But once we conceded there was no point sitting back anymore – we had to attack and get back into the game.
– After the match against Kryvbas Vladyslav Kabaiev said that Andriy Yarmolenko gave a motivational speech to the team. Players mentioned something similar before. Was there another speech today at halftime?
– Yes, there was but that will stay in the dressing room.
– Did that speech have a big impact on the team?
– Of course. When one of the team’s leaders gives a spirited talk it inspires everyone.
– Recently Dynamo have been scoring more from set pieces. Does that make you happy?
– Everything that works for us in matches is the result of what we practice during training.
– Can we say that Guerrero was the “super sub” today – came on and scored the winner?
– He did the same thing in the previous match against Kryvbas – came on and scored, and today he did it again. What can I say? He’s brilliant (smiles).
– Did you explain to the newcomers how important this match is for Dynamo’s fans?
– I think they understood it themselves. Shakhtar are one of the strongest teams in Ukraine and they represent our country in Europe. So there was no need to explain much – you just had to go out there and do your job.
– You’ll face Shakhtar again on Sunday in the Ukrainian Premier League. What did you take away from today’s match that might help in the next one?
– We just need to carry today’s performance into that league match (smiles).
