Former Dynamo and Ukraine coach Jozsef Szabo commented on the Dynamo vs Shakhtar match (1:1) for 1927.kiev.ua.
Jozef Szabo- I didn't like Shakhtar. I said before the match that the Pitmen would win, but I don't know what Jovetic did with the team - they lost the game. Kyiv were stronger in this game. Today, Shakhtar lost everything - they were lucky to draw, so to speak. Shakhtar did not have a single moment when they could have scored. Stepanenko's goal was a clear mistake by the goalkeeper. It's not clear where Neshcheret was from thirty meters. And Kyiv had several dangerous moments in which they should have scored. Earlier, Shakhtar looked a cut above. I don't know what kind of training process Jovetic has, but the players don't run, they don't have freshness. Kyiv looked much taller and more solid in this confrontation. This is a question for Jovicevic - what does he do in the training process, that the players are not fresh, there is no speed and they lose everything? All martial arts. Kyiv had more opportunities to score. For Shakhtar, this draw is like a victory. They were supposed to lose.
- Is the coach to blame for the team's poor performance?
- I watched the match with a friend and asked him: "What's going on with Shakhtar's players? Have they gotten carried away, do they think they are going to be champions?". In the match against Dynamo, they looked very weak and made a lot of mistakes when stopping the ball and passing.
- Was the game up to the level of a "classic" one?
- I liked the game, it was interesting for the fans. It did not leave me indifferent. Kyiv played tactically as expected, especially in the first half. In the second half, they saw that Shakhtar was no good and started attacking and creating chances. They had to score.
- The teams showed a lot of flaws...
- There were many, many mistakes... On both sides. It's terrible. This has never happened before. There is no class - we can't do anything about it.
- Who can be singled out in Dynamo?
- Everyone - the team as a whole. They won everything: in the air, down low, they had the advantage and deserved to win in this confrontation.
- And Shakhtar?
- Stepanenko. Everyone is failing, and he meets and takes it away. But it's unacceptable to make such a move near your own goal. Especially at the end of the match. The game is being built around him, but Taras no longer has the same speed and it turns out that he is late. I will say once again that Shakhtar lost everything in this match. This suggests that the players are either tired or beaten. I don't know how else to explain it. Dynamo were much faster and better prepared, they had an advantage. In the second half, they played a head above Shakhtar."
- Do you have any questions about the refereeing?
- My arm was pressed and the ball hit my shoulder. Such penalties are not given. There were a lot of violations from Shakhtar when the player was already beaten and then there was a two-footed tackle. The whole game was like that. Probably because Shakhtar's players were tired. There was no speed, no thinking, and a lot of deficiencies. Kyiv also had a lot of deficiencies, which is why there were so many collisions and struggles on the field.
- How do you assess Kyiv's chances of winning medals in this championship?
- There will be a fight between Zorya and Dynamo for third place. In any case, in this match, Kyiv looked much better than in previous games. I liked them today. "Dynamo has psychologically adjusted to Shakhtar - it is always a good irritant for them. If the Kyiv team continues to tune in like this and play with such passion, they will be able to catch up with Zorya.
Mykola Tymoshchuk
