Dynamo Kyiv defender Denys Popov shared his impressions of the victory against Dnipro-1 (1-0) in Uzhhorod.
Denis Popov (photo: fcdynamo.com)- Was today's victory a rehabilitation for the defeat in the last match? Did the team approach the game with a special attitude?
- Yes, the mood for the game was special. And there was a conversation in the team. We needed to pull ourselves together, to unite above all. Indeed, the defeat in the first spring match had a great impact on us. We had to rehabilitate for it.
- Today, Dynamo spent a lot of time without the ball, which is unusual for league games. How prepared were you for this kind of football?
- "As always, we were preparing to play as the first team, not adjusting to the opponent, as Dynamo always does. But there were many factors that prevented us from doing so throughout the match, so we had to adjust during the game. In addition, the quality of the lawn was not of the best level, so sometimes we had to play second fiddle, and somewhere, as they say, out of simplicity. The main thing today was the result, the game took a back seat.
- When Vitalii Buyalskyi scored a goal, the whole team ran up to celebrate with Mircea Lucescu. Did this celebration have any special meaning?
- Yes, because he does a lot of work with the team, thanks to which our players develop and progress. It was a gesture of support and gratitude, of our team's cohesion. Also, with this gesture, we showed the young people that at Dynamo Kyiv we must always be united and fight for each other.
- For the second game in a row, you and Dyachuk have been forming a center back line together. Are you still improving your interaction or have you already "rubbed" each other enough?
- We played a few matches at the training camp in this group, and I personally feel comfortable interacting with him. But official games are completely different, and it still takes time to better understand and feel each other on the field. We are trying and I think we are going in the right direction. In principle, we played well today, except for some moments.
- The team got the maximum result in a match with a direct competitor. Can we say that with this result, Dynamo declares its championship intentions?
- Yes, we are in no way giving up or giving up. We will fight for the maximum result in the championship to the end.
