Former Ukrainian national team player Andriy Polunin shared his impressions of Dynamo Kyiv's 6-2 victory over Partizan Serbia in the second round of the Champions League:
Andriy Polunin- "They say that a team plays as the opponent allows it to. Well, in Lublin, Poland, Kyiv completely dominated, and the guests should be happy that they lost only by that score.
Frankly speaking, I have not seen Dynamo so motivated for a long time, focused on fighting for every ball. Apparently, they were motivated by the recent trip of the "partisans" to sparring matches in the aggressor country, Russia. This is unforgivable, and in this case, the most effective punishment is to defeat the opponent. I think it was the best game Kyiv has played in recent years.
They played this match almost in one breath, the opponent simply could not keep up with the developments on the football field. It is felt that Dynamo has a great microclimate now, everyone is eager to demonstrate their skills. Head coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi's confidence in his players is evident. In particular, look at how Vladislav Kabaev is performing now, although until recently many experts believed that this player was not suitable for Dynamo.
I am convinced that Dynamo hit the bull's eye with the invitation of Oleksandr Pikhalenko. In the Champions League match, he came on as a substitute, did not immediately catch the rhythm of the game, but gradually recovered and was already visible at the end. I am well aware of Pikhalenko's ability to work together at Dnipro-1 and I am sure that in 3-4 matches it will be difficult to imagine Dynamo without this creative performer.
Still, although it is said that winners are not judged, Kyiv had some lapses in the game, which the Belgrade team took advantage of when they scored twice. You can't lose concentration, even if you have a total advantage. I hope that Dynamo will take this into account and prove in the next battles that their rise in Lublin was not accidental.
