Dynamo U-19 head coach Ihor Kostiuk commented on his team's2-0 home match against Dnipro U-19.
- We understood the importance of today's match and the strength of the opponent. We had 23 points each before the reporting round, so it was a game for the intermediate second position in the standings. We chose a game plan that basically worked, using fast attacks through the flanks. It was good that we scored the first goal, and after the penalty, their team felt better, scoring the second - so our tactics worked. At the same time, we did not score a few more goals that would have allowed us to finish the match more calmly.
- Dnipro-1 was close to bringing intrigue back into the game, but Vyacheslav Surkis saved a penalty kick...
- I think this is one of the key moments of the game. We saw that the opponent was playing very aggressively from the start of the second half, and Vyacheslav's penalty gave us strength. I would like to emphasise once again that we need to take our chances when we were attacking well, not scoring on empty goals, and not handling the ball correctly.
- Vyacheslav saved a lot of penalties at the children's level. Perhaps he works on this component separately in training?
- Yes, we even joked that before this match we had been hit by so many penalties, and Slava hadn't saved a single one. So before the 11-metre penalty, we sat on the bench and said it was time for him to parry - and he did (Smiles).
- Dnipro-1 is also a contender for gold in the championship among youth teams. Rukh lost points in this round, so can Shakhtar be called the main competitor for the lead now?
- You have seen that they are a quality team, with many foreigners, Brazilians born in 2004. They also have a lot of collections. So we understood that this team has players in some positions who are one or two years older than our guys. That's why the balance that Dnipro-1 creates in attack with these players is formed. But today we didn't allow them to create almost any chances and played tactically competently in defence.