Dynamo U19 captain Volodymyr Ozymay shared his impressions of the 3:2 victory in the home match of the second round of the UEFA Youth League Champions Path against Scottish side Rangers:
– First of all, I would like to thank all the Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen and women for defending our country and giving us the opportunity to live and play football even during the war. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to all the fans who came to the stadium and supported us during the match.
As for the game, we won by a one-goal margin, so our feelings are mixed. But a win is a win. Therefore, we are not getting discouraged and are preparing for the return leg. It was frustrating to concede the first goal, but we supported our goalkeeper, Maks Roienko, by quickly scoring a third goal to restore our advantage. We will also review the episode that led to the second goal we conceded. I did not see exactly what happened myself, but I am one hundred per cent sure that there was a foul on me. At the same time, I am also to blame because I held on to the ball for too long. So we will analyse that moment.
– You already have experience playing in this tournament. In particular, in previous seasons, Kyiv progressed through the second round of the Champions Path twice in a row and also reached the tournament's play-offs. What do you think are the team's prospects this season?
– This is only the first half of our tie in the second round. In the return leg against Rangers in Glasgow, we will play only for victory and give everything we have to achieve it. We will fight until the very end.
– You were active from the very first seconds. Did your level of intensity decrease towards the end of the match? Not in terms of physical strength, but emotional drive?
– To be honest, I was ready to play another match just like that one. The emotions were overwhelming; I really wanted to win and encourage my teammates through my actions. So I tried to support the team until the very last minute.
– You provided the assist for Buravtsov and celebrated his goal emotionally. Had you promised him that assist?
– Yaroslav and I have quite a fun relationship, so I’m very happy that I was able to provide an assist for him. And, of course, I’m glad that he scored his goal in the UEFA Youth League.
