Dynamo’s versatile player Oleksandr Karavaiev shared his thoughts on the 4:1 win over Polissya in a live interview with Football Hub.
– Before the match it was said that both teams returned to Ukraine at about the same time. So the physical workload over the past two months should have been roughly equal. But the result is 4:1 in your favor. Did you have more left in the tank physically today?
– It seems so. Maybe we were a bit better prepared, more used to this rhythm. But still it’s tough, it drains you. There’s no other option, though – you need to go out, win and fight for first place. At Dynamo no result other than victory is acceptable.
– Today Dynamo were very effective on counterattacks. Was that the game plan – to give Polissya the initiative and then exploit the space through Voloshyn and Guerrero? Or did it just happen during the game?
– I wouldn’t say it was the specific plan but we know our players’ strengths. We know Nazik can break forward if there’s space, and the same goes for Kabaiev. During the match we saw there were open zones so we had to win the ball and think fast to launch counterattacks.
– Do you agree that Polissya looked strong early on but after their mistake and the first goal conceded they were affected mentally while you pushed harder and killed the game in the first half?
– I’d say Polissya under Ruslan Petrovych look very strong and well organized. We studied them, watched their Conference League matches. It wasn’t easy at all and they showed their strength at the start. Then I don’t know what happened but from our side – we kept playing our game, didn’t drop our heads after conceding, reacted quickly, knowing we needed at least two goals. We stuck to what we know, and it worked out – we scored three before halftime. That was very good for us and of course very negative for them.
– One more question about the European competitions draw. Many say Dynamo were unlucky with the opponents – there could have been weaker teams, at least on paper. What were your first thoughts when you saw the results of the draw?
– Very good teams, even very strong teams. So it’ll be another interesting test for us. We know and understand how difficult it will be against such opponents. But if we want to play in Europe consistently and get results so that our league progresses, these are exactly the opponents we need to measure ourselves against. The results of draw we can’t change.
