Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Vladyslav Kabayev shared his impressions of the 4-2 win over Metalist 1925 Kharkiv in the 18th round of the Ukrainian championship, in which he scored one of his team's goals.
Vladyslav Kabaev. Photo by Yurii Yuriev- Victory is always good, and the emotions are positive. We have been working and preparing for a long time. However, the game started a little bit differently from our scenario, but we did not give up, we believed that we would succeed and eventually won.
- How quickly did the missed goal spoil your plans for the game?
- As the game showed, it didn't spoil our plans, but missing a fast ball is a blow below the belt, but it's okay - we recovered quickly.
- So it wasn't difficult to adjust?
- We didn't really need to do that. We needed to score and switch on second gear, put pressure on the opponent, which we did. I repeat, the blow was purely psychological, but the main thing is that we withstood it, levelled the score, and this pushed us to score more and more.
- You levelled the match in the first half, could you tell us how it happened?
- There was a mess in the penalty area, I didn't even think about it, I just shot on intuition. I saw that there were a lot of feet in the penalty area, so I had no time to think, so I hit the ball in touch. It was good that I hit where I was aiming. We trained such shots at the training camp.
- Did the teams score a lot of goals in the second half, or did the coaches make any adjustments during the break?
- No, I think we were just physically prepared. We didn't deviate from the game plan we had in the first half. We continued to put pressure on the opponent, then, although we won by two goals, we conceded, but we wanted to score more. I won't say that Metalist 1925 got hooked, but I know that when you concede right after scoring, it's a bit mentally tough. Perhaps they did not believe in success, but we, on the contrary, did not stop for a minute.
- Is today's victory the result of good work at the training camp?
- I think so. The score is on the board. We prepared well. This is only the first game, we still have a lot of work to do. Tomorrow we have a day off, then we will prepare for the next opponent. We have a lot of work to do to become champions.
- Today you played on the right, how comfortable are you in your new position?
- It's hard to say. I played on the left throughout the training camp, but today the coach said I would play on the right. I scored a goal. For some reason, when I play in this position, I manage to score. With Rukh I played on the right and scored, and now today. For me, the main thing is to play for Dynamo and have fun.
- The match against Metalist 1925 was the first after the winter break. Was it hard for you physically?
- I can tell you from my own feelings that it was a bit hard at the end of the match, but in general we did well. Once again, we worked very well, hard and diligently at the training camp.
- Today, Taras Mikhavko played his first match for Dynamo's first team, how did the team greet him on his debut?
- I came into the dressing room a little later, so I don't know. But the guy played this match very well, I didn't see any fear in his eyes for his age. He did well. At the training camp, he was put in, and he played constantly. And I personally praised him too, let him continue to work as hard. God willing, he will have a great future.
- The next game is against Chornomorets, which is your home club. Do you have any special feelings about it?
- If we were playing in Odesa, maybe yes, I would. But since the game is in Kyiv, I don't know. There is almost no one left in the team. Undoubtedly, Chornomorets gave me a lot, paved my way to football. So I definitely have some feelings, I worked with the Odesa coach for a long time. But I can't say that this will be a particularly important match for me. For us, every game is important now.
- It is possible that the fans will return to the stands in small numbers soon, do you expect this?
- Of course. Although we are already used to playing without them. When we play abroad with spectators, it's even unusual, because you can't shout to the guys, you can't hear the coach's instructions. These are completely different emotions. I saw that we are talking about a small quota, but it's good that at least a few people will be able to come and watch football. It's good for us and for them.
