Last Tuesday, July 23, in the first match of the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League, Dynamo Kyiv defeated Partizan Belgrade 6-2. Here is the post-match press conference of the head coach of the Ukrainian team Oleksandr Shovkovsky.
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi- I congratulate everyone on the victory, but I want to emphasize that the task is not yet complete. There is still a return match, so we will continue to prepare for it in the same way as for this game. We will watch and analyze the first match, analyze our own mistakes, without which there is no football. But the most important thing is the effort that was on the field, our work, the guys fulfilled the setup for the game, and now we have a pretty good result before the return match.
- Why wasn't Oleksandr Tymchyk even included in the matchday squad?
- Unfortunately, he got injured during the training camp and is now recovering. He is with us, so we are waiting for Oleksandr to start full training. For now, he is working individually.
- Was Karavayev's substitution at half-time related to his mistake in the first half, which led to a penalty?
- Firstly, you will never know what is going on in our locker room. Secondly, I felt that I had to make these two substitutions.
- Today, the fans created an incredible atmosphere, the president of Dynamo said that he hadn't seen anything like this, probably, in the last four years. How did the atmosphere feel from the coaching bridge?
- You know, I was completely immersed in the game. Of course, I could feel the aura, but I couldn't allow myself to be enchanted and fully enjoy the atmosphere. I had to be fully concentrated, feel the guys, the rhythm of the team, feel where I needed to adjust, give them a hint. When you are in the game, you can influence it, and when you are distracted by some moments, the game passes you by.
- Today was the first official game of the season, but Dynamo made a real extravaganza, scoring six goals. How would you evaluate the team's start and the preparatory stage in general?
- This game gave us some information. In particular, what we had agreed on before the match, in general, happened. I won't say anything about the tactical instructions we tried to convey to the opponent, because we still have a return match ahead, but in general, the guys did everything we asked. What I liked the most was that even after giving the opponents a penalty, my wards did not lose heart and continued to follow the game plan. No matter how the match goes, we have to be focused until the final whistle.
- What can you say about the second half, how much did the players who came on as substitutes improve the game? In particular, Pikhalenok scored his debut goal for Dynamo...
- We know perfectly well that we have high-quality players in the middle lineup. We determine which of them will be in the starting lineup based on the tasks that are set for a particular opponent, on the game moments, as well as on how I feel about them. And all the players in the team are the main squad, including those who currently represent Dynamo in the youth and Olympic national teams of Ukraine.
