Igor Yavorsky , a well-known football player and then coach, shared his impressions of the second Conference League qualifying match between Polissia and Olympia, in which the Slovenes were stronger, 1-2:
"It all started in the Polish city of Gliwice - you can't think of a better place. In the very first attack, Zhytomyr began to make history by scoring their debut goal in European competition. Still, it seems that the nominal hosts themselves did not expect such an outburst. As for me, taking into account the considerable international experience of the Slovenian club, Zhytomyr should have taken care in the next 10-15 minutes to keep their goal intact.
A 1-0 score is very insidious. Therefore, there was no need to run headlong forward, forgetting about the reliability of the rear. And the Slovenes seemed to be waiting for this, restoring parity soon after.
The situation of Polissya became critical, because to save the team they had to score two goals, and as the first match in Ljubljana showed, Imad Ashour's wards had problems with the aim.
To achieve the breakthrough, after the break, Polissya relied on riding gears on the grenadier Pylyp Budkivsky, who was put forward. In several episodes, the guests were in trouble, but they survived. And in stoppage time, Olimpiya scored for the second time.
"Polissia was forced to retire early. That's how Polissia's debut in the European Cups ended in failure. I am convinced that the ambitious management of Zhytomyr FC expected a completely different outcome. It seems that frequent changes on the coaching staff do not bring any tangible dividends to Polissya. Although serious funds were spent on the transfer market. Nevertheless, let's hope that Zhytomyr will soon do without organizational conclusions that Imad Ashur has not yet exhausted his credit. Because another resignation of the manager, and even at the start of the UPL championship, could lead to failure in the domestic arena," Yavorsky said.