Former Dynamo and Shakhtar player Oleh Matveyev talks about the Pitmen's defeat to Porto and their season in the Champions League in a commentary for UPL TV.
Oleg Matveev- There are no questions about the players' performance and dedication. The guys tried and did their best. I can't say that someone didn't get there or didn't do enough work. But, perhaps, in such fundamental and decisive matches, it is still too early for us to play for victory - we lack a little bit of skill. I believe that we brought the three goals to ourselves, they could have been avoided. At the start of the game, when Porto started to press hard, it was clear that Shakhtar's players could not keep up with them in the time pressure. Yes, they know how to control the ball, but under the powerful pressure of the opponent, panic sets in.
- There are a lot of conceded goals. What was the reason?
- We couldn't keep up the pace, there was excitement.
- Shakhtar's first goal was scandalous. What happened?
- Who's to blame for Porto stopping? The linesman made a mistake when he recorded offside. But with VAR, such episodes need to be continued and then reviewed. Zubkov and Sikan did everything right - they finished the episode and scored a goal. Then the referee sorted it out.
- The individual mistakes of Shakhtar's players were decisive. Do you agree?
- Yes, I do. The first goal was a throw-in behind the back, which needs to be controlled. The second - almost everyone sat in the penalty area. Why? We had to go higher, meet and block. The third was Sudakov's mistake. The fourth was Riznyk's. The fifth was Bondar's. Our players are not used to playing in the UPL in time pressure. That's why there are so many mistakes under the high pressure of strong opponents.
- How can you generally assess this season for Shakhtar in the CL?
- It's a positive one. It's a young team. Many players have no or little experience of playing at this level. Georgins, Riznyk, Kryskiv and others have gained very important experience at this level and performed well.
