Shakhtar midfielder Georgy Sudakov talks about the match against Celtic in the Champions League.
Georgy Sudakov. Photo: shakhtar.com- Georgy, how do you assess the draw result?
— It is difficult to say something about the result, because we had dangerous moments: in the first half by Mikhail Mudrik and in the second half by Danil Sikan. But Celtic somewhere had more initiative with the ball. So a draw is probably a natural result.
- According to the feelings, what is more now - joy or disappointment, after all, they could have won?
- Now there are no sensations, because I left a lot of emotions on the football field. After such a match and atmosphere, I want, first of all, to recover.
- Did everything work out in the attack?
- Of course, we strive to work more with the ball, play forward, combine - this is what we do in the Ukrainian championship and want to transfer to the Champions League in matches with such teams as Celtic, Real Madrid, Leipzig. I think this is just the beginning. We have great potential, but we need to work hard.
— You recalled Sikan's unrealized moment. When you saw the episode, were you already preparing to enjoy the goal?
- To be honest, yes. I did not understand a little what happened - you rarely see this. But nothing, Sikan gave an assist, clung to a lot of balls, did a lot of work and helped the team a lot. I think this is such a moment in life that you need to overcome and move on.
- They say that before the match you studied not only the opponent, but also the fans. The coach did certain exercises so that you could feel the whole atmosphere of the stadium. Did you feel the pressure from the stands?
- What they told us, even one percent does not convey what we felt. I have never played in such an atmosphere in my life. Of course, it’s a little difficult, but you get high from such an atmosphere. The Champions League is, first of all, emotions. Playing against such teams with such fans is a thrill.
- In the last minutes, Celtic went on the assault. What was the most difficult thing at that time?
- Probably, the most difficult thing was to keep the ball, because by this time the team was already hooked, everyone played defensively, fought back. But what I liked was the concentration until the last minute. Perhaps this factor brought us the result.
- There is a match with Leipzig ahead. Ready to win?
— Yes, we are 100 percent ready. We already did it. We have a strong team, which I think many people are afraid of. If before the Champions League we were not considered favorites, now we have shown what we can and how we play. It will be a very difficult match in Warsaw, but we are ready.
