Former striker of the Ukrainian national team Ivan Getsko in an interview "TEAM1 ” shared his impressions of the victory of Shakhtar Donetsk over the German RB Leipzig (4:1) in yesterday's away match of the 1st round of the Champions League group stage.
Ivan Getsko— I am convinced that no one expected such a result. Let's pay tribute to the Pitmen, who studied the opponent in detail and skillfully took advantage of the fact that he is now in a state of crisis. Indeed, this season Leipzig disappoints in the Bundesliga as well. However, these are already the problems of the German club and I will not be surprised when head coach Domenico Tedesco is fired today.
- And yet, what helped Shakhtar to win such a bright victory yesterday?
- First of all, it is felt that the team has an excellent microclimate. Of course, this is the merit of mentor Igor Jovicevich, who was a good motivator in his previous clubs. Secondly, the Croatian specialist should be praised for the fact that, despite the departure of a whole group of qualified legionnaires, he kept calm and, as they say, brick by brick selected those performers who are close to his coaching philosophy.
Take at least the latest acquisition - the station wagon of Marjan Shved from Mechelen. At one time, he started under the leadership of Jovicevich in the Lviv Carpathians and the mentor knew what his former ward was worth. Negotiations with the Belgians went on with varying success, but Shakhtar managed to get the Shved back to Ukraine. And he did not lose: Maryan's debut turned out to be surprisingly successful. Although, in fairness, it must be said that when he drew up a double, luck was clearly on his side.
Thirdly, Jovicevich outplayed his counterpart Tedesco tactically. Each of the Donetsk residents clearly knew his maneuver. When it was difficult, the guests stood like a wall at their possessions, endured and seemed to feel that they would definitely wait for their chance in counterattacks, where the curly Mikhail Mudrik proved himself from the best side. Finally, the Pitmen stunned the hosts with an incredible conversion, as all four of their shots on target were productive!
— By the way, this is not the first time that Shakhtar surprises with unexpected victories in the Champions League. Let's remember how in 2020 the Pitmen defeated the eminent Spanish...
- You know, in my opinion, yesterday's victory is perhaps even more significant. Especially when you consider that Shakhtar had as many as eight of its own pupils and it was mined at this difficult time for Ukraine...
- Then the last question: given the victory with a big score in another pair of this subgroup - Real Madrid in Scotland over Celtic, how do you assess Shakhtar's chances of reaching the next round?
- It is too early to give any specific assessment, because this is only the beginning of the journey. Moreover, after taking off in Leipzig, competitors will take Shakhtar even more seriously. Also, one should not forget that the Pitmen's ranks protect a lot of young players, and they still lack stability. Nevertheless, it is important that yesterday Shakhtar once again made me remember football Europe and let's hope that in the next matches on the international arena the Pitmen will prove that their victory in Germany was no coincidence.
Vasily MIKHAILOV
