Dynamo midfielder Mykola Shaparenko shared his thoughts on the Ukrainian Cup Round of 16 match against Shakhtar, in which the White-Blues suffered a 0:3 away defeat.
– Unfortunately, Dynamo’s Ukrainian Cup campaign has come to an end. What are your first thoughts and emotions after this match?
– Of course, the emotions are negative. I am especially ashamed in front of the fans for what we showed today. We have another match coming up very soon, and I hope we will be able to make amends.
– The team started the match actively and pressed the opposition high up the pitch. What was the coaching staff’s main focus during preparations? Did you manage to carry out the plan at the beginning of the match?
– We did what we had worked on in training and implemented the idea the coaching staff had instilled in us on the pitch, but then you saw for yourselves what happened. After the sending-off, it became much more difficult for us to reorganise our play.
– One of the decisive moments was Taras Mykhavko’s sending-off. Did you see the incident and what went through your mind at that moment?
– I did not see the incident itself and have not watched it yet, so I believe it would be inappropriate to comment on the situation. There is a coaching staff that will make a decision regarding Taras Mykhavko. I think it would be wrong to express an opinion on this without knowing all the circumstances.
– The team conceded the first goal towards the end of the first half. Do you think the game could have turned out differently if you had managed to keep a clean sheet until half-time? Did the team have an opportunity to reorganise during the break?
– It is very disappointing to concede towards the end of the first half. But we had good opportunities to launch counterattacks in the second half. We needed to manage possession better and make more effective use of our chances.
– There were many stoppages, fouls and emotional moments during the match. Did these interruptions make it difficult to maintain the rhythm of the game?
– No, they did not. Emotions are a normal part of matches like the Ukrainian Clasico. We knew there would be a lot of physical battles and prepared ourselves for that.
