Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Vladyslav Kabaiev shared his thoughts on the home match against Epitsentr and the 3-0 victory.
– I think we were more constructive in our play in the first half. In the second half, when we scored the second goal, it affected us psychologically to some extent. I think any team in such a situation would start playing a little more cautiously and trying to protect the scoreline, so the game became more difficult for us. We understood that the opponents were playing well, and it’s very important for us to pick up points now because we have already dropped too many. So this victory is like a breath of fresh air for us.
– How difficult was it mentally to prepare for the match after the previous dropped points against Bukovyna and LNZ?
– It was mentally difficult because we understand what kind of club we play for. Dynamo is a brand, and we must always set ourselves the goal of being not somewhere else, but at the top, and winning every match. Recently, we didn’t have either the quality of our play or the results – we understand that very well. Against LNZ, there was already a certain quality to our game, and today we have the result as well. We worked hard to achieve this result on the pitch today.
– Last season, Epitsentr were newcomers to the Premier League. Have they changed since then? Have they gained more experience and perhaps become stronger in some aspects?
– I think so. They are an attractive team that, as I said, plays football. You can see the coach’s influence, and there are many foreign players in the squad with good footballing qualities. It’s always nice to play against teams like this. They don’t sit deep, they try to play their own football, and they have their own strategy. So it’s a big plus that we have teams like this in the Premier League.
– How did you congratulate Ihor Kostiuk on his birthday?
– The coach said that whatever gifts we might give him, nothing could be better than a victory. So we gave him a shirt, and after the match the president came into the dressing room, as did the captain, and everyone talked and congratulated him. I think the result on the pitch made him happy as well.
– Your next game will be against Zorya, apparently also in Kyiv. Is it nice to play three matches in a row at home?
– Of course. It’s always nice to play at this stadium. And especially at a time like this, over the last two or three weeks, when there have been almost continuous air-raid alerts. We understand what is happening and what people in Ukraine are going through, but they still come and support us. We played in Kamianets-Podilskyi and Vinnytsia as well – it’s great that people come to football matches at a time like this. We try to give at least some kind of celebration to those who come to support us.
– It’s good that you managed to play today without any air-raid alerts?
– Yes, especially since an air-raid alert was announced almost immediately after the final whistle. We were lucky that it didn’t happen during the match. We even discussed it among ourselves – it really was a miracle that we managed to play the whole game without any interruptions.
