Former Dynamo Kyiv and USSR national team defender Oleh Kuznetsov commented on the "classic" match in which Shakhtar Donetsk defeated the White and Blues 1-0 on penalties.
Oleg Kuznetsov- Oleg Vladimirovich, what do you think of the Ukrainian "classic"?
- My impressions are positive. The match turned out to be tense, you could feel the nerves in the game, passions were raging on the pitch. The match of the leaders should be like that.
I would like to note that Shakhtar coach Pushich set up the team very well, and after Sudakov's goal, they slightly adjusted and retreated. Later, he made substitutions in time and "dried up" the game. In general, Shakhtar's bench is more interesting. The people who came on the pitch after the break enhanced the teamwork. I did not notice this at Dynamo.
In general, before the penalty goal, neither team had a game advantage. The opponents responded with attack after attack. When Shakhtar scored, they started to act on the result. The Kyiv team also went backwards, which was especially noticeable in the second half, with no real scoring chances.
- But before the break, they created several good opportunities to score.
- Yes, Riznyk helped the team out several times. We did not score, so we can say that we were unlucky somewhere. "Shakhtar generally played well in defence. The experience of the Champions League showed here. They played in a similar style there. The whole field was blocked and it was very difficult for Dynamo to create anything worthwhile in attack.
- The only goal in the game was scored from the penalty spot. The referee had a long conversation with his assistant to see the violation, and then ran to watch the moment on the monitor himself. If not for this unfortunate incident, the game would probably have turned out differently?
- The ball that was flying into the goal hit the defender's hand unluckily. There is no one to blame in such a situation. The referee officiated the match well. He let the teams play, and hardly reacted to minor fouls. Although Sudakov could not have been warned for simulation. He tripped over Popov's leg. There was a dynamic moment there. And they didn't even watch VAR. I don't know if he could have stayed on his feet. And if the whistle blew, the decision had already been made. It was possible to give a penalty, because Sudakov managed to throw the ball, he fell not picturesquely. There was contact with the defender. But the referee made the decision.
- Can we talk about a kind of complex that Dynamo have in front of Shakhtar? Recently, Donetsk have been winning more often.
- I don't think so. "Shakhtar is a principled opponent, and Kyiv always come out well-motivated against them. It's rather different here: "Shakhtar continue to buy talented foreign players, albeit young ones. They progress, and after a while, when they understand the structure of the team's game, they join the squad. Kyiv do not have this opportunity, in fact, they rely on their own pupils. The youngsters are thrown into battle and gain experience. I don't think it's a complex. Yes, we lost two games in this championship. We'll see what happens next time.
- To sum up, when, in your opinion, did Dynamo lose the championship?
- I think it was in the autumn. A lot of points were lost with teams that, for various reasons, are not yet up to the level of those fighting for places in European competitions. If we compare Kyiv with Shakhtar, they literally pulled through several games by the skin of their teeth. The championship schedule in our realities does not provide for the possibility of a lack of points in games with outsiders. You have to beat them.
- Maybe we should have appointed Shovkovskyi earlier?
- I don't know. To answer this question, you need to know the situation at the club. What kind of contract did Lucescu have? I'm sure if he had a European agreement with Dynamo, you can't just fire a coach. Perhaps there was a penalty clause.
Life in football is unpredictable. "Shakhtar became the champions, and we don't know whether Shovkovskyi will be retained or not. The team has done everything right under the current coach. The squad has been cleaned up a bit, and the team is showing a good game in the spring.
Do we need to strengthen our positions? A good foreign player will not come to us - the situation in the country does not allow it. So we will rely on our own players. There are good players in Dynamo U-19. Ponomarenko and Mykhavko are already being allowed to join the main squad, and there are other interesting players on the way. The time is such that you can count mostly on the pupils of your academy. But they are growing and, of course, Dynamo will fight for first place next season.
Gennadiy Chekhovskiy
