The midfielder of Kyiv Dynamo’s youth team (U-19) Roman Salenko commented on his team’s victory in the home match of the Ukrainian youth championship against Inhulets (7:0), in which he scored one of the goals.
Roman Salenko. Photo — O. Popov— The first half was difficult, there was a rotation of players as we are preparing for the UEFA Youth League match against Maribor. It’s very good that the players who were on the bench managed to strengthen the game and score so many goals in the second half.
— You scored the first goal from a distance, tell us how you decided to take that shot?
— The opponent “parked the bus” in defense near their goal. I thought, if we can’t cross, create a play, or get closer to the goal, why not shoot from afar. It all worked out, and the game improved from there.
— Did the team have a strong desire to win after the draw with Maribor and the loss to Shakhtar?
— Of course, it was disappointing to lose to Shakhtar and draw with Maribor. In my opinion, statistically, we were better than both of these teams. But the season is still very long. Regarding emotions and the desire to win, they should always be present. Even today, after the first half, we added emotions and scored.
— You missed the first match against Maribor due to injury, how are you feeling now before the return match?
— I feel 100% ready. I have more emotions than the guys, because they have already played in the UEFA Youth League, and I have not seen anything yet, I’m going for the first time, so I’m ready to fight, run, and of course, win. I think Maribor will also fight to the end, as this match will determine who moves on.
— This will be your first international experience at the club level. Considering that many moments were not realized in the first match, could it happen that in the return match you will make up for it and score many goals?
— Of course. In the first match, Alex Peikrishvili played, and now he is injured — so there could be a rotation of the squad and a change in tactics. We will try to seize our chances.
