Dynamo Kyiv head coach Ihor Kostiuk spoke to the media after the team’s victorious match against Epitsentr.
– Ihor Volodymyrovych, first of all, happy birthday! The team gave you a victory, and Matvii Ponomarenko ran over to congratulate you personally after scoring… How happy or satisfied are you with the performance?
– Of course, a victory on your birthday adds enthusiasm and gives you confidence that we are on the right path.
– Could you tell us about the condition of the injured players? When are they expected to return?
– Redushko is still recovering. Vitalii Buialskii has about a week left, I think he will already be back during the international break.
– There is also some good news – Mykola Mykhailenko has returned and played his first league match after his injury, having previously featured in the Cup. Mykola Shaparenko has also returned…
– Of course, both Shaparenko and Mykhailenko are players who are part of our main squad. We count on every player in our squad. Shaparenko started today, while Mykhailenko came on as a substitute and added confidence in the middle of the field. When things weren’t going quite right, we had a certain lapse for about ten minutes in the second half. Thanks to Mykola, we managed to stabilise things, close down that area, and after that the opponents had no more chances.
– Why wasn’t Volodymyr Brazhko involved today?
– Volodymyr picked up an injury in the match against Niva. Then, yesterday evening, he developed a fever. He scratched his leg on the artificial surface, and an infection developed yesterday. We have started treatment so that he can return as soon as possible.
