Zorya Luhansk head coach Patrick van Leeuwen talks about the draw with Shakhtar Donetsk (2:2) in yesterday's match of the 13th round of the Ukrainian Championship.
“Before the match, we understood that we would face a good opponent. In the first half, we had chances, and we can say that we played almost on an equal footing. And for almost the entire second half, we were on the defensive, playing on the counterattacks. We are always looking for our options and opportunities to show our game. Today, in the first half, it worked better than in the second.
We felt in the first half that we had more opportunities. At the beginning of the game, there was excitement, but then they calmed down, and the team began to play their own football. In the second half, we wanted to continue the way we ended the first half - to act in our own style and prepare attacks. We scored the second goal quickly, but then we were less able to attack well.
We had opportunities to score after our second goal, but it didn't work out. However, I am satisfied with the final result and the work of the team - everyone who took the field, who was on the bench and supported the partners," van Leeuwen said at a press conference after the match against Shakhtar.