Well-known Ukrainian coach Oleksandr Babich commented on the victory of Dnipro-1 over the Cypriot Apollon (1:0) in yesterday's match of the 5th round of the group stage of the Conference League, which brought the Ukrainian team to the playoffs of the tournament. The expert also assessed the prospects for the Dnipro residents in the spring part of the Conference League.
Alexander Babich“In the first half of the match with Apollon, Kucher's team played for the result and did not disclose. It was not clear to me why Apollo was going to win... Pikhalyonok and Dovbyk played great in Dnepr-1, pulling away the opponent's defenders. Thanks to this, Pikhalyonok managed to create a goal from half a moment.
In the second half, we saw open football. I was pleased that Dnepr-1 calmly acted on the defensive. I will note the game on the flank of Tanchik, as well as football performed by Nazarenko. Dnipro deservedly won, I can only congratulate them on their victory and advancement to the playoffs of the tournament.
The entry of Dnipro-1 into the playoffs of the Conference League is a quite expected success. The Dnipro team made a bet specifically on the Conference League, noting that in this tournament the team can achieve a lot. I think that in the future Dnipro-1 is able to reach the 1/4 finals of the Conference League. True, a lot will depend on the draw. Of course, Dnipro will not be considered favorites in any pair of playoffs, but they have good trump cards - these are sharp counterattacks, the presence of such a forward as Dovbik and quite creative legionnaires.
What needs to be improved for Dnipro-1 before the playoffs of the Conference League? First of all, they need to save two leaders - Dovbik and Pikhalyonok. It would be nice to get another creative midfielder and striker. In addition, it is also important to keep the goalkeeper - Valef played well against Apollon and adds to the game with every match. It will be very interesting to watch such a Dnepr-1 in the spring,” Babich said.
