Dynamo Kyiv U19 head coach Ihor Kostyuk commented on his team’s home victory in the first leg of the UEFA Youth League Champions Path Round 2 against Swedish side Brommapojkarna (1:0).
– No matter how tough the win was, it doesn’t change its meaning or value. We won the first leg despite playing with ten men from the 30th minute. I want to express huge gratitude to the players. Considering what happened last night in Ukraine, before the match we told boys they were playing not just for themselves but for the entire country.
The flow of the game forced us to drop deep and use the available space. We created enough chances – both in the first half and in the second where we had two or three opportunities we should have taken. Our plan worked: we didn’t allow the opponent to create anything dangerous near our goal, except for one episode at the end when the ball bounced awkwardly. The boys fought until the final whistle – they simply couldn’t afford to lose, especially since it was Ohorodnik’s birthday today (smiles). In short well done to them.
– The only goal was scored by a player born in 2006. Can we say you made the right choice when selecting three out of five players from that age group for the starting lineup?
– It wasn’t a matter of guessing – it was about balance. We spoke with the 2006-born guys who came for this match and explained that two of them would have to accept not starting. I think we chose the lineup correctly. But even if the players who didn’t make the squad had played they would have given their all as well. I saw how passionately they supported the team from the stands shouting instructions to their teammates. That’s what a true collective looks like – a team capable of earning such hard-fought victories.
– You now have the return leg in Sweden ahead. How will this narrow win affect your approach to the second match?
– Their coach already told our players that they’ll look better on their artificial pitch but that’s football – we’ll see. We’ll analyze this match. Overall our game plan changed a bit due to the circumstances but in the first minutes we had chances after quick attacks – we should’ve scored early in both halves.
The tie is far from over. We’ll prepare seriously for the return leg in two weeks. We’ll analyze the opponent and I believe that if we managed to prevent them from creating chances even when we played with ten men then with equal numbers we should be able to advance over the two matches.
– After the match the team went over to thank the Polish children who supported Dynamo. How much did that boost the players’ spirits?
– Of course it gave positive energy to both the team and the kids. You could see their emotions when our players approached them. I think it’s important for them to support Ukraine and it’s mutual. Such gestures are truly valuable.
