Former Dynamo Kyiv striker Vadim Yevtushenko, who is now working in the structure of the Swedish AIK, told what he thinks about the results of the confrontation between his current club and Vorskla Poltava (2:3, 2:0) in the 2nd qualifying round of the Conference League
- Vadim Anatolyevich, do you think the result of the match is fair?
- Yes, unfortunately for the Ukrainian team, I think the result of today's match is natural. AIK looked better in terms of the game. As they say in boxing, the Stockholm team turned out to be stronger "on points" today.
Vorskla tried to keep the result obtained in the first game, but at the right moment could not switch to attacking football when it was necessary to score.
The territorial advantage was on the side of AIK, the Swedish team created a little more dangerous chances. Although I cannot say that AIK played super football. To some extent, Vorskla is to blame for not going further.
— What was the atmosphere like at the stadium today?
- The atmosphere is great! Ukrainians and Swedes applauded each other, hugged each other. Very sentimental feelings from this.
- Didn't Vorskla relax after a successful first match?
- Before the first game, the Swedes did not know anything about Vorskla. The AIK coaching staff had no information about the Poltava team. But in the week that has passed since the first game, the Swedes have well analyzed the game of the Poltava team.
- Viktor Skripnik has been working with Vorskla for only a month. Do you already feel the work of the new head coach of the Poltava team?
- The first game showed Skrypnyk's innovations, the team played according to new patterns. The hand of the new coach was felt. But today AIK didn't let the Poltava players play the way they wanted.
- Did the fact that AIK is in good shape, and Vorskla did not play official matches for half a year and is not in the best functional readiness?
- Of course, Vorskla has been training outside the home for a month now. It's not as easy as it might seem. It affects both physical and psychological fatigue. Most likely, it was the freshness of Vorskla that was not enough today to achieve a positive result.
- Who did you like the most in Vorskla, and who failed the match?
- Today the team looked very even in all lines. I expected a little more from Stepanyuk. He had a good moment at the end of the match, but it seemed to me that he also lacked freshness, like the whole team.
- It seemed that in the moment with the second goal the ball did not completely cross the goal line, and the VAR system is not used in the Conference League qualifying matches. Could there have been a mistake on the part of the referee team?
- I can’t say for sure about the correctness of the scored goal, you have to watch the replays. It seemed to me from the central stand that there was a goal. But I don't presume to say.
- Did it mean that today the match was held at the home stadium of AIK, unlike the first match?
— Yes, definitely. The first match was played on artificial turf, which is more usual for AIK. But at the home stadium, the Stockholm team has a special atmosphere.
AIK fans are among the best not only in Sweden, but also in Europe. It certainly has an impact today. AIK always plays well in its own arena with its fans.
— Share your expectations for the upcoming UPL season. Can Vorskla compete for medals in the Ukrainian Championship?
— It is difficult to say what state the other teams are in. I would like the level of the Ukrainian championship to remain high enough. I expected Vorskla to pass AIK after winning the first match.
At the same time, I followed the match between Dynamo and Fenerbahce. I congratulate the Dynamo team, who snatched victory in the hardest game in extra time. This shows that Ukrainian footballers are in good shape. I hope that other teams will also catch up to this level, and the season will be interesting.
Yesterday I watched the match between Shakhtar and Ajax, and I really liked the game of the Donetsk team, who did not have a single foreigner on the field. The main thing is that the upcoming championship is not interfered with by the barbarians who attack Ukraine, and that the fans can enjoy a normal life.
- Tell us, please, about your position in AIK.
— I work in the coaching staff of the U-19 youth team. For now, we are in the middle of the standings. It's a little different football. I have not worked at this level before, I am interested in the process of training young football players.
Andrey Kaplun