Oleksandr Shovkovskyi: “I congratulate the fans on a very important victory!”

The head coach of Kyiv “Dynamo” Oleksandr Shovkovskyi summarized the match of the capital team against Rivne “Veres” (1:0) in the 17th round of the Ukrainian championship on UPL TV.

— I congratulate the fans on a very important victory! We watched how the teams from the upper part of the table performed and understood that the last match brings a certain charm, so to speak. We talked to the players about avoiding the mistakes that were made in the parallel matches of the round. Something worked out. But the main thing is that we achieved an important victory today.

— Could you please tell us about the set piece that led to the goal? The “Veres” coach said that it was unexpected for his players.

— It was unexpected for us as well. But we work a lot on various aspects, and the guys executed it excellently.

— Did the defeats of your competitors motivate “Dynamo” even more today?

— The defeats of competitors did not motivate our team. I said that we did everything possible to avoid their mistakes. Because the last game of the year, only “Kryvbas” won against us. And “Polissia”, of course. And “Shakhtar”, “Oleksandriya”, “Rukh”… That’s why we prepared the team for a very serious match and understood that the game would not be easy. That’s why we moved it, by the way, from Sunday to Monday, so that we had one extra day for rest and preparation.

— How satisfied are you with Oleksandr Pikhalyonok, who played for the first time after his injury? And what is the situation with Shaparenko?

— Shaparenko got sick, and he had certain complications. He is on antibiotics, and the doctors have forbidden him to train and play, especially in such cold weather. And Oleksandr has been preparing, he had a difficult recovery. I’m glad he played this match. As for individual actions, I don’t want to comment. We understood that this was the last match, and the load on the players at this stage was very heavy. I thanked them for preparing for this game as if it were the last one (laughs).

— Tell us about Barzhok’s condition.

— He got injured in the previous match.

— How satisfied are you with the autumn part of the championship without defeats?

— Everything needs to be analyzed thoroughly. In 2024, we had a single defeat and, if I’m not mistaken, six draws. But the unsatisfactory performance in European competitions is definitely a fly in the ointment. We will certainly analyze everything and work on improving our actions. We need to play more confidently — like we did in matches against “Partizan” and “Rangers.” And in the championship, we certainly performed at a high level and will strive to improve in the upcoming matches.

Text transcription — Dynamo.kiev.ua, when using the material a hyperlink is mandatory!