Dynamo midfielder Oleksandr Pikhalonok shared his impressions of the Matchday 12 fixture of the Ukrainian Premier League against Shakhtar.
– Today, Dynamo drew 0:0 with Shakhtar, but it was clear how much the team wanted to win. Does the result leave a bitter aftertaste?
– Of course, we wanted to win, especially since we had a numerical advantage from the start of the second half. I believe we did not put enough pressure on the opponent to finish them off. We needed to shoot more, put in more crosses, and make Shakhtar feel the pressure, but, so to speak, we were giving them a chance to catch their breath. However, today, both on and off the pitch, I saw that the whole team stood shoulder to shoulder. I am grateful to everyone for their commitment.
– From the opening minutes, the team played actively and forced the opponents into mistakes. Are you satisfied with the way the team started the game and maintained that level afterwards?
– In my opinion, it was an interesting game in the first half, with both teams having chances to score. Once again, in the second half, we should have put more pressure on them and finished the job. Despite that, we leave with our heads held high. Nothing terrible has happened; we need to prepare for the next matches. If we approach our upcoming games with the same attitude and score goals, everything will be fine.
– Shakhtar made almost no changes to their starting lineup compared to their Champions League match against Sporting, which took place earlier this week. Did you expect them to be less physically prepared?
– Actually, no, because Shakhtar played on the fifth day after their previous match, so they had enough time to prepare and recover. If they had played after just two days, or even three, that could have had an impact.
– Dynamo created many chances but failed to score. Was finishing the problem?
– Of course, we had chances that we needed to take. Unfortunately, things turned out the way they did. Nothing terrible; we move on.
– Dynamo have been through a difficult spell: a Cup match against Shakhtar in Lviv, a league fixture against Kryvbas in Kryvyi Rih, and then another game against Shakhtar in Lviv in the UPL. How are you feeling after such a series of away matches?
– Everything is fine. Of course, after the Cup match, there was a bitter aftertaste and a lot of negativity. But then we beat Kryvbas, and today we played quite well. We will play our next five matches in Kyiv, so we need to take the maximum number of points.
– How would you assess this stage of the season between the two international breaks overall?
– Of course, we would have liked things to go better. Unfortunately, we have been knocked out of the Cup… But we will keep working.
