Honored coach of Ukraine Ivan Balan commented on the victory of Kyiv Dynamo over Scottish Rangers (2:0) in the return match of the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League, which took place yesterday in Glasgow.
Ivan Balan- Personally, I liked the game. The result is normal. It is clear that we always want it to be even better, but anyway, the task was accomplished: 1:1 in Lublin and 2:0 in Glasgow.
Dynamo entered the next round of the competition quite deservedly. Already in the first match with the Scottish team the Kyivians looked good, but they did not reach the victory. But in the second meeting they won deservedly, proving to everyone that they are stronger than the opponent. Our team achieved the desired result thanks to the fulfillment of the coach's instructions and a real man's character.
- How much did the removal of the Brazilian legionnaire "Rangers" Zhefte affect the game in the second half?
- The Scots did play very roughly - insidiously hitting, pushing our players, frankly stepping on their feet... However, I don't think it was the Brazilian's removal that affected the result of the match. For example, recently Shakhtar played against Polesie and there was a mess on the pitch after the end of the game. So, it is one thing when the game is over, and quite another when it happens in the middle of the match. This is what we saw from the Rangers players, who with their deliberate actions tried to provoke the opposing team's players to violate the rules with a possible suspension.
By the way, the Brits acted in this way in the first match as well - and not only harshly, but also brutally. As for yesterday's game, the Dynamo players' game discipline and human attitude towards each other were at their best. They did not react to the rudeness and provocations of opponents, but did their job on the pitch. This is evidenced by such an eloquent fact as Dynamo did not even have yellow cards. I suppose that someone from the coaching staff of the Kyiv team emphasized to their wards not to respond to the Scottish provocations in any case. Our guys were good: after another rudeness from the opponent after 15-20 seconds they got up from the lawn and continued to play.
- Austrian Salzburg will be Dynamo's opponent in the Champions League play-off round. What factors, in your opinion, guarantee a positive result for our team?
- If Dynamo players stick to everything that allowed them to defeat Partizan and Rangers, they will be able to achieve success. I am sure that Oleksandr Shovkovskiy knows from his own experience what its components are.
Vyacheslav Kulchitsky
