The renowned former referee Oleksandr Hordiienko, whose name is associated with the "Club 100" of assistant referees, shared his thoughts on Dynamo’s defeat to Ferencváros in the Europa League.
Photo: O. Popov— Regarding the result, even playing shorthanded, in the first half the Dynamo players looked decent. But losing 0:4 is, of course, a serious blow to the club and its image. The mistake made by Dynamo defender Dubinchak at the start of the game certainly left a mark on the match's outcome. He let the team down with his ejection — that’s for sure. Especially considering that this match was strategically important for Dynamo in future tournament standings. The game against Ferencváros was supposed to determine the prospects of our team in the table. And all the mistakes that occurred in this unfortunate match turned out to be the result of playing issues. After Kyiv conceded the second goal, they completely stopped playing.
—What do you think is happening with Dynamo on the European stage, where the team has lost all four matches in the group stage with a total score of 0:10?
— Probably, it’s a lack of experience. To fulfill the tasks set by the management — to advance to the next round of the Europa League, the team must have more qualified players. Although in my opinion, the players currently available to Dynamo are quite enough to achieve this goal. But as life shows, there are very serious questions regarding the players' performance.
—You mean there are executors, but no collective?
— Exactly. Most likely, there is no collective. One that could gather and show real character when losing 0:1 or 0:2. Sadly, there was no leader on the football field who could lead his team forward by his example and enthusiasm. However, no matter how it is, one should not be excessively categorical in critiquing Dynamo so as not to push the team into a prolonged psychological pit. After all, the Dynamo players still have championship and Ukrainian Cup matches ahead. And they still have theoretical chances in the Europa League. Everything is in the minds and feet of the players.
—What would you advise the Dynamo players at this stage?
— Probably after the 0:4 defeat to a club that does not belong to the European giants, it’s time for the guys to wake up and seriously think about what conclusions need to be drawn to prevent such issues in the future. I hope that the fiasco in the match against Ferencváros is not some kind of catastrophe, but just a game that needs to be forgotten as soon as possible. The Dynamo players received a serious lesson that should draw a line under Eurocup failures. The players need to seriously consider where they are and for which club they play.
Vyacheslav Kulychytskyi
