Igor Linnik: "Compared to Novofedorovka, Dynamo's victory over Sturm looks like a success of local importance, and yet..."

Well-known journalist Igor Linnik shared his impressions of the return match of the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League between Dynamo Kyiv and Austrian Sturm (2:1), which took place on Tuesday in Graz.

“Compared to Novofedorovka, the victory of Dynamo Kyiv on the Sturm field looks like a success of local significance, and yet…

The functional foundation of the Lucescu team at the start of the season is impressive. Due to her endurance and team speed, she has so far beaten her rivals in the Champions League qualification - both Fenerbahce and Sturm. In some ways, this is comparable to the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine exhausting the enemy during a strategic defensive operation.

But against Benfica this arsenal can be not enough. Lisbon residents have a much higher class and skill level. Moreover, in the first game with them, Dynamo lost the disqualified Sidorchuk and Garmash. Which further complicates the task. Perhaps this is comparable to the forced May-June rupture of logistics chains in the supply of heavy weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine...

Therefore, I would suggest that in the matches against Benfica, the Kievans will have to fight fierce and often contactless - this is what the team from Lisbon will strive for - defensive battles with an opponent who has a live advantage, figuratively speaking, in strength and technique.

We see what the Dynamo attack is now, in comparison with which even Heilunn is, if not HIMARS (Man City now has it in the person of Holland), then Harpoon. If Lucescu had at least one Neptune (for example, in the person of Dovbik), then there would be hope for an explosive and lightning-fast counterattack. Otherwise, you will have to dig deeper into the trenches and count on the flanks - they are Dynamo's most powerful weapon today.

But, as we have seen, during deep defensive operations in highly motivated and trained hands / feet, Javelin and Stinger can be the key to victory.

In a word, the task of Dynamo is to impose extremely tight and contact football on Benfica. Yes, on their own territory, closer to their own goal, in order to exhaust it and not give them space for a run. And there, you see, somewhere someone with something from somewhere somewhere will run out - this is already how its commander details the task for his DRG.

And assign the title that befits him to Mircea yourself, ”Linnik wrote on Facebook.