Ihor Zhabchenko, a Dynamo Kyiv graduate and former player of Chornomorets and the Ukrainian national team, commented on the first match of the Champions League qualifying round playoffs between Kyiv and Salzburg, which ended with a score of 0:2.
Ihor Zhabchenko (photo: gornyak-sport.com)- The score was 0-2 and Salzburg's victory was natural. The opponent was stronger, wasn't it?
- Despite the defeat, I liked Dynamo's performance - they looked very good. The defeat was caused by individual mistakes that the Austrians took advantage of. In the first case, Popov ran to fight in the center of the field, lost the fight, exposed his zone, through which the attack passed. As a result, the ball was missed. Also in the second case, Karavaev's senseless actions resulted in a penalty.
- What did you like about Dynamo?
- They were great at getting out of the pressure. This has not been observed before in Kyiv. They organized quick counterattacks and created chances. But, unfortunately, we did not use what we had. And we created quite a few chances.
Anyway, Dynamo looks nice. It's a completely different team compared to Lucescu's team - it's liberated. The guys are playing with pleasure, everyone is defending and everyone is attacking, where necessary - clear control of the ball. In a word, we can see a lot of progress. This is the Dynamo I played against, where they pressed, covered and pressed. That's why I really like Dynamo. And those players who came added color to Dynamo's game. There is a depth of the reserve. The players who come on as substitutes maintain the pace and rhythm of the game, give speed and freshness. A balanced team.
- But Salzburg, in addition to the two goals they scored, could have scored three absolute goals. With the score 2-0, if not for Bushchan pulling a dead ball, it could have been 3-0 - and that would have been a disaster.
- When Dynamo ran to score, they opened up, and the opponent caught us on counterattacks, using the space to fly into the open areas. "Salzburg is also a very good team. It's just that the hosts used their chances, while Dynamo did not. I would not say that someone is stronger, there were two equal teams.
- In this match, unlike in the previous ones, Dynamo did not have a coherent game. They played well in parts, then weaker.
- It's not that Dynamo didn't want to play the whole match, it's just that the opponent was forcing them to do so. With their activity, pressure, they did not allow us to keep the ball under control. This is not the Ukrainian championship, but the Champions League, where the level of speed, thinking and other things are completely different. The level of teams is different from our championship.
- The offensive line is a little worrying. Vanat is still unable to fit into the game.
- You could say he "dropped out" of the game. He seems to be a speedy player, but he can't run away. And the reason is that Salzburg's defenders also run well. In the second half, there was a moment when he seemed to escape from the defender, entered the penalty area, tried to shoot, but the opponent caught up, blocking the shot in the rolling. Again, this is a different level of football.
- We have a return game in a week . Is there any hope for a positive result - access to the new format of the Champions League?
- Firstly, we need not to miss, to find our moments, and they will be, and to be cool in the realization. I would also like to draw attention to the fact that you should not fall for the opponent's provocations. For example, Shaparenko wasted a lot of energy arguing with the opponent, answering incomprehensibly... Such a distraction does not give the team reliability, it is transmitted to other players when Dubinchak hits the ball at the opponent who is lying down. Score two and show it on the scoreboard, then it will be effective. There is hope until the game in Salzburg is over.
Sergey Shebek
