Former Dynamo Kyiv and Chornomorets Odesa striker Oleksandr Kosyrin analyzes the Champions League match between Bologna and Shakhtar.
Oleksandr Kosyrin- Were you surprised by the starting lineup of Donetsk?
- Not really. Only the absence of the experienced Taras Stepanenko caught my eye. I attribute the appearance of Sikan, not Traore, to the fact that Danylo is better at playing on the counterattack. This was Marino Pušić's plan for the game, in my opinion.
- Already in the second minute, Norwegian referee Saggi awarded a penalty kick to the home team after Posh hit Eginaldo's legs.
- It was unexpected. Eginaldo could have been offside, but he held the line and was able to break into the Bologna penalty area thanks to his speed.
- Sudakov took the penalty. Could anyone else have done it?
- I don't know. Probably, Heorhiy wanted to prove himself in Italy, because there was information that Juventus and Napoli wanted to buy him. You can see that Sudakov is nervous and not very confident in his abilities. At first he wanted to shoot into that corner of the goal, but he shot weakly and the goalkeeper reacted. Although all he had to do was look at the goalkeeper during the run and hit it past goalkeeper Skorupsky.
- The day before, Harry Kane scored three out of three penalties against Dinamo Zagreb. Can you learn from an experienced Englishman?
- It is possible and necessary. Sudakov is still a fairly young footballer, he is only 22 years old. He lacks experience, he does not yet know how to control his emotions. Kane is worth 100 million. In the winter, we heard Shakhtar CEO Serhiy Palkin say that Sudakov was worth 70 million euros. Now, after an unsuccessful European Championship (I'm talking about Georgy Sudakov's performance there), and now after an inexpressive match in Bologna, the Pitmen's playmaker is worth 20-30 million euros. This is my assessment of this situation. Yes, if Shakhtar had scored a penalty, they could have played differently. Or perhaps the hosts would have gone on the attack with all their might. No one will ever know.
- How can Sudakov get out of this unpleasant situation?
- Only to work even harder in training and give his all in official matches. There is no other way. Due to my inexperience, when I was a player at Dynamo Kyiv, I was offended when I was not trusted in the first team and transferred to the double or Dynamo-3, and I trained in a haphazard manner. Only later did I realize that I was acting wrong then. Returning to Sudakov, I don't want him to repeat the fate of Mykhailo Mudryk. He also has a lot of problems at Chelsea now - he practically doesn't play there anymore. Georgi has either a psychological problem or some kind of injury - we don't see the Sudakov we saw in 2023.
- Did you like Bologna?
- They are a well-organized and tactically competent team. Perhaps the new format of the Champions League allowed Bologna to qualify for the main football tournament for the first time in 59 years. In general, Shakhtar and Bologna were roughly equal teams. Of course, the game was affected by heavy rain, but the Renato Dell'Arra drainage allowed the match to take place. I already knew in the afternoon that it had been raining heavily in Bologna for two days, which did not allow the U-19 teams to play their game. I even had concerns about whether the main squads would be able to play their match.
- Statistical indicators show that the hosts were closer to victory (18-4 shots in favor of Bologna). What do you think about this?
- Only once did Riznyk really save the Pitmen, in the 52nd minute, when he saved a shot from close range. Shakhtar's keeper confirmed his class. Otherwise, it was a scoreless game, to be honest. Of course, all Ukrainian football fans would like Shakhtar to win in Bologna, but the draw is worth accepting. As the saying goes, a chicken by a grain. In general, I think Shakhtar Donetsk players can score points in all Champions League matches. We'll see what happens next.
