On Friday, February 28, in the match of the 19th round of the Ukrainian championship, Kyiv’s «Dynamo» tied 1:1 with Poltava’s «Vorskla». The match took place in Kyiv at the «Dynamo» stadium named after Valery Lobanovskyi. We present to you the post-match press conference of Vorskla’s coach Nikolai Ishchenko (the head coach of «Vorskla», Yuri Maksimov, was serving a suspension for being sent off in the previous round and was not allowed to hold the press conference).
— We easily conceded a goal. But overall, we controlled the ball well, created chances, and carried out counterattacks. There were, of course, mistakes, but that’s inevitable.
— In the previous round, your team clearly struggled against «Obolon», and today — a draw with «Dynamo». What’s the secret of this transformation and such success?
— I wouldn’t say that the game against «Obolon» was very bad. It was simply affected by the poor state of the pitch, it was impossible to play well on it. But we also had our moments there. Moreover, keep in mind that it is always difficult to play against «Obolon»: this team does not play itself, and does not allow the opponent to play either. And today everything was the opposite: a quality team, a quality pitch. Well, and of course, the attitude of the guys, who demonstrated that they can play football and create chances. We prepared during the training camps, this is not a coincidence.
— Did you earn one point today or lose two?
— I think we earned one. «Dynamo» has been showing very quality football throughout the season. Yes, we would have been happy with three points if we had been lucky at the end of the match. But overall, this is probably plus one point.
— Maksimov was suspended today. Did he somehow make adjustments to the game?
— Of course. Everything was under his control, all substitutions were his decisions. The game plan was made in the hotel, and during the match the communication with him was via telephone.
Post-match press conference of the head coach of «Dynamo» Oleksandr Shovkovskyi.
Oleksandr POPOV from the «Dynamo» stadium named after Valery Lobanovskyi