The captain of Vorskla Vladimir Chesnakov told what helped his teammates to turn the tide against Dila (2:1) and assessed the chances of the Poltava team in the return match.
Vladimir Chesnakov- Perhaps, we did not expect such dexterity from the opponent in the first half. Dila players in the previous games in the Conference League - with DAK from Slovakia - impressed with ball control, but yesterday they surprised with their speedy actions and ability to press high.
- Is that why Vorskla players did not do everything well before the break?
- First of all, we should not forget that for us it was the first official match of the season, while "Dila" had already played several rounds in the Georgian championship and twice with DAK. Secondly, we had newcomers in the starting lineup, so we still lacked chemistry somewhere. Sparring is one thing, but official matches, where the degree of responsibility is much higher, is quite another.
- It was the Brazilian rookie who played uncertainly when Dila opened the scoring.
- It was more of a collective mistake.
- What helped you to stay on your feet after that, in boxers' terms, knockdown?
- Frankly speaking, I had no doubts that we would reach a turning point. Because I knew that the guys are very motivated and eager not to repeat the mistakes that led to failures in the last two Conference League qualifiers, when we lost to Finland and Sweden. When we had to increase intensity and selection, it turned out that the guests were not ready for it. The fact that Dila, with its international squad, gave up physically at the end of the match also helped us.
- Do you think that the score is according to the game?
- I am convinced that we deserved the victory more. I will not single out any of the partners. Everyone contributed.
- In the previous round "Dila" also lost the first match away to DAK - 1:2, but at home they managed to take revenge with the right score and went further.
- We remember this and therefore we are not going to relax or erect some buses at our gates, figuratively speaking. The opponent will definitely punish us for that. Therefore, the game will start at 0-0 and we will have to prove everything first. We will try to do everything to remove the curse from Vorskla's performance in the second qualifying round of the Conference League.
