Dynamo Kyiv midfielder – and scorer of his team’s only goal against Shakhtar Donetsk – shared his impressions of the “Ukrainian Clasico” which took place at Arena Lviv, in an interview for UPL TV.
– Tell us about the episode that led to your goal.
– If I’m not mistaken there was a pass towards Karavaiev. I saw that the defensive line was shifting to cover so I took a step forward and stayed in position. All their defenders lined up and I was left alone – I hit it first time.
– In your opinion what’s been Dynamo’s main problem in the first halves of recent matches against Shakhtar?
– It’s hard to say. I think the issue is that Shakhtar’s attacking group is made up entirely of Brazilians who are very good on the ball. When teams are evenly matched physically, to be honest, they’re technically stronger with possession. That’s why it’s always tough for us in first halves. But in second halves, when they tired physically, it becomes easier for us to play.
– When you made it 2:1 did you feel that you could come back and avoid defeat?
– Honestly, I was sure we were going to equalize. But we were leaving too much space behind and taking big risks which is why we conceded a third goal at the end. We went all out in attack and got caught out.
– Recently Dynamo appointed a new coach specializing in set pieces. The team has looked interesting in attack but you’ve had problems defending set plays – including today. Why is that?
– Probably because we spend more time working on attacking set pieces. We don’t have enough time to practice both attacking and defensive ones every day.
– It seemed that in the recent Cup match you played more aggressively while today Shakhtar were the more assertive side. What was missing this time?
– We just needed not to concede early. When you let in a goal in the third minute, you immediately lose confidence. You have to chase the game, take risks, invent something in attack. That early goal completely changed the course of the match.
– Now Dynamo are four points behind Shakhtar in the league table. What do you think about that?
– The season doesn’t end here. There are still many matches ahead. We’ve already been four points behind once and managed to close the gap to one. I believe everything is still ahead of us – we’ll play Shakhtar again in Kyiv. For now we’re preparing for the Conference League match and then for the game against LNZ.
