Former Dynamo Kyiv coach Jozef Sabo commented on the first match of the White-Blues against Benfica in the Champions League playoffs (0:2).
Joseph Szabo— I expected a similar result. Benfica is a good level team with great players. They started the match by pressing and constantly played forward, on the attack. After the first goal, the game became a little different: we opened up, and the Portuguese began to control the ball more. They knew there would be moments. And when Tsygankov, whom we often talk about, was washed, I'm sorry, but he doesn't have eyes or something? Did he not see where he was passing? What right does he have to make such passes from midfield? The second goal was scored and it was all over.
For me, the western teams are the top teams. As well as Western football players. When they succeed, they start selling themselves, which we saw in the second half. They are good players. They could score more than one goal, but in moments when it was necessary to respect a teammate, the players themselves wanted to do something, show themselves. This suggests that they were selling themselves.
The Kyivans could punish them in the second half, because the Portuguese very often made mistakes at the back, but they did not take advantage of the opportunities, because we do not have such competent football players. And there is no attack at all.
— Who can be singled out in the "Dynamo" team?
— In my opinion, Karavaeva. He is not a striker but more goal oriented. The others I don't understand what kind of football they play. Oleksandr always aims at the opponent's goal. I especially like him for that.
Mircea Lucescu was right to replace Tsygankov with Karavaev. AFTER the mistake made, Viktor was psychologically not ready to continue the game. He is not a strong-willed player like Sydorchuk or Zabarny. Tsygankov is technical, there is something in him, but he will not be taken to the top team. I think it will be difficult for him to play in the West. Especially in the English Championship.
— Was Sydorchuk's absence noticeable?
- So. He is both the captain of the team and a more visible figure in the middle of the field: he works well in selection and starts the attack.
— How would you rate a kind of "all-in" from Lucescu when he released young Vanat and Tsarenko?
— Vanat at least did something, tried, there was aggression, but it didn't work. There was a moment when Benfica defender Tsarenka almost "moved". It is too early for them to play at this level. But what to do when this is the situation.
— Forward of our national team Roman Yaremchuk was invisible on the field...
— He showed absolutely nothing. Yaremchuk is not respected very much - they did not give him the ball in the moments when it was necessary to give it. He is currently sitting on the bench and will be sitting for a long time, because they bought Brazilians. If this continues, he will fade away as a football player.
— What to expect from the return match?
— Kyivans cannot play in any other way - only from defense. We will see in the next game the same Portuguese team as here: from the first minutes they will press, play at speed until they score one or two goals. Then it will be the same game again. The Portuguese will "get crazy". We don't have such a team, especially now. What we have is what we have. The same will happen with Shakhtar when they play in the Champions League. You can't escape from it.
Mykola Tymoshchuk
