Former central defender of the national team of Ukraine Oleksandr Kucher shared his impressions of the match of the 8th round of the main stage of the Champions League between Shakhtar and Borussia Dortmund.
Oleksandr Kucher— Of course, I am sorry. But, it can be said that the defeat was expected. Shakhtar made many mistakes in defense. I don’t think the team could have hoped for more. There was no desire needed for victory. Many mistakes— and a predictable result.
— You started talking about the defensive play…
— Yes, we made many mistakes. The players didn’t keep up. You could say that some did not play football, but just watched it. I don’t want to criticize anyone, but the miners did not believe that they could win against Borussia. Some footballers seemed to have forgotten that they needed to go out and play.
— You singled out Hіrassi and Adeyemi before the match, who indeed made the result.
— Yes, Adeyemi made an assist, Hіrassi scored two goals and could have completed a hat-trick. But Riznyk, of course, helped his teammates a lot and saved the team more than once.
— It was also noticeable that Zubkov made many mistakes in his passes.
— Zubkov came to the match with desire and wanted to achieve something. But it wasn't just him who made mistakes. I don’t want to get personal, as this is a team game, and they need to discuss everything amongst themselves. Some came out with great desire, like Marlon, for example. The Brazilian's play was liked— he aggressively went into the fight, scored a goal in a tackle. It is evident that Gomes wants to play and is becoming a leader of the team.
— What was lacking to capitalize on the moment against Borussia after Marlon's goal?
— It was hard for Shakhtar, we lost many duels. Physically, Borussia looked stronger— it was noticeable to the naked eye. Of course, a lot depended on the desire with which the team went out to play.
— What positive aspects can you highlight?
— The guys tried, played, maintained possession. There were decent moments near the German goal. Kevin is very charged, lately he has been demonstrating good play and gaining form. Some moments were liked, but the overall result and the conceded goals left an unpleasant aftertaste. We allowed Borussia to score too easily.
— How would you summarize Shakhtar's performance in the Champions League?
— The performance in the Champions League reminded of the first part of the UPL— Shakhtar had ups and downs, bright matches alternated with failures. The team looked the same at home. I wished for more stability, so that the whole team played, not just one or two players trying to show something.
Andrii Pavlechko
