The head coach of Alexandria, Ruslan Rotan, commented on his team’s loss to Donetsk Shakhtar (0:3) in yesterday’s match of the 19th round of the Ukrainian championship.
Ruslan Rotan. Photo — FC Alexandria"I must thank the guys for their effort. They did not want to play for a draw today, but rather to win. However, after conceding the first goal, we were not mentally ready anymore. We must always keep an eye on the game and stay focused, even when the score was 0:1.
We should think about attacking while not forgetting about balance. In this aspect, we were not at our best. Such matches are educational for us, and I am sure we will only get better. I told the guys: God willing, we will play more matches like the one against Shakhtar and strive for that level.
I consider the first goal we conceded to be illogical because Shakhtar never plays like that. We cleared the ball, and there was no balance from our side. We got caught off guard a bit, and the center backs were too far apart. At that moment, Sudakov received the ball and, as I already mentioned, dictated the game.
After conceding the first goal, we had to open up, and you probably noticed that we tried to salvage this game. The individual skill of Shakhtar, to be honest, is something we can’t do anything about.
We do not have such performers, but at the same time, we have wonderful players who understand and want to play our football. I am sure that after such matches, they will become better. Despite losing today with an unpleasant score, I do not agree that we deserved it,” Rotan said.
