Dynamo U-19 head coach Ihor Kostiuk commented on the away victory over Lviv's Karpaty (2-0) in the 3rd round of the youth championship.
Ihor Kostiuk (photo: fcdynamo.com)- It was a tough game, but the tactics and game plan we chose worked. We achieved victory by making quick transitions from defense to attack and scored two goals. We could have scored more, but the quality of the game did not allow us to make the score higher.
- Did your players make you a little nervous at the end of the match when the ball hit the post and Karpaty made several dangerous attacks?
- This is a matter of concentration. The team is still recovering from illness, and not all players can withstand 90 minutes on the field. At the moment when the ball hit the post, the defenders lacked concentration, they didn't finish the play and allowed the opponent to run out. We played as well as the general tone of the team allowed us to and won.
- In what moral state was the team preparing for the game against Karpaty after the draw with Veres? How did you adjust your players?
- We lost in Rivne. As I said, many players were sick. After the illness, they did not have the proper emotional state to add to the game, especially those who came on as substitutes. We "sank", we did not have the freshness to win. But we are gradually coming out of this state. I am pleased that they follow the instructions for the game. We'll add more quality and I think everything will be fine.
- You start this championship with three away matches, how do you like this calendar?
- We don't care whether we play at home or away. The football field is green, the ball is round. Regardless of where the matches are, we have to go out, get our points and show the game we plan to show, as well as the actions we play.
- How are the young players who came to you from Dynamo Children's and Youth Sports School adapting to the team?
- They are gradually getting into the game, not everything is working out yet, they do not fully understand our requirements, but the positive thing is that they have potential, they have something to work on and where to grow.
- Oleksandr Shevchenko returned from the loan, how can you characterize his performance?
- We are counting on him, he is a quality player, but he still needs to improve in terms of quality, as well as in terms of confidence, because he still has doubts and makes mistakes because of this.
- In the game against Karpaty, the starting lineup was different compared to the last match against Veres. Was it because of the illness you mentioned?
- Yes, we had a lot of sick players. The players are gradually returning. You saw that Osypenko, Ishchenko, Zakharchenko and Dykyi have already played 90 minutes. Syzonyuk is still unable to play the whole match. In short, we are gradually returning to the condition we had before the illness.
