Famous Ukrainian goalkeeper Igor Shukhovtsev shared his impressions of the matches of the 19th round of the Ukrainian Championship, which took place last weekend.
Igor Shukhovtsev— Undoubtedly, the central match of the round was the confrontation at the "Arena Lviv", where Donetsk "Shakhtar" hosted "Alexandria", which has been in second place in the table for several rounds. Until the 77th minute, the score was 0:0 and, apparently, no one expected that in the remaining time the "miners" would score three goals.
— The Alexandria team looked good in this match in terms of game organization. However, this is not surprising, as it has been stable throughout the tournament distance, so its presence in second position is quite justified.
In the Lviv match, for a long time, Shakhtar's efforts to achieve success were in vain. However, the individual skill of the Donetsk legionnaires, who make the weather in the attacking game of the "miners", eventually paid off. Eginald and Elias threatened the goals, and in the second half, they made efforts to change the "dry" score on the scoreboard. After the second of them shot on the rebound, Sudakov skillfully played it — and it became clear that "Alexandria" would find it difficult to recover. And it turned out that way. Together with Eginald, Sudakov scored a goal each.
To be honest, the Alexandria team did not deserve a heavy defeat. After all, even before the Donetsk team scored for the first time, Ruslan Rotan's players created danger at Riznyk's goal several times. Who knows how events would have unfolded in this match if they had scored first.
— How would you explain the unexpected draw of another of our giants, "Dynamo", with "Vorskla" in the capital?
— It is difficult to say unequivocally. To answer this question, you need to know the situation from the inside. Perhaps, to a certain extent, the Dynamo players underestimated their opponent. Or maybe some other reason played a role.
But however it was, it was "Dynamo" that scored first. It seemed that the Dynamo players would be able to build on their success, but this did not happen. "Vorskla" immediately tried to launch attacks that could bring them success. I liked the performance of Kulach on the actions of the Poltava team, who returned to it after a break of three and a half years. "Vorskla" looked quite good in the second half and that brought them success. A draw is a good result for them.
— After a six-match unbeaten streak in the autumn part of the championship, "Kryvbas" unexpectedly suffered two consecutive defeats this year. What do you see as the reason for yesterday's loss to modest "Inhulets"?
— After winning bronze medals last season, "Kryvbas" is expected to at least repeat this success. But at the start of the current championship, the Kryvyi Rih team did not have a good start, and they remained in the middle of the table for a long time. This was the case for most of the first round until Yuri Vernidub's team began to regularly earn points from match to match. If I am not mistaken, Kryvbas had a fairly stable second half of the autumn season and gradually caught up with the leading group. It is clear that the prospect of fighting for medals began to loom on the horizon — and perhaps this became a psychological burden for the team. Responsibility for the result along with underestimating the opponent could lead to defeat.
As for "Inhulets," finding themselves at the very bottom of the table, this team grasps at any chance that could allow them to improve their situation. But whether they have enough for the entire distance — it is difficult to say.
— In the encounter of the middle teams, "Zarya" defeated "Rukh" and has already overtaken the Lviv team. Is this connected with the fact that after the transfer of four key players of Vitaliy Ponomarev's team to "Karpaty", their game has changed?
— This may be one of the factors. And until recently, "Rukh" suffered from a viral disease that affected a large group of the team's players. Most of them have recovered, but they still cannot be in optimal shape. Still, the Lviv team showed effort, but the players of "Zarya" were more skilled and convincing that day.
— In another match, where quite ambitious teams from the middle of the table met, "Karpaty" managed to beat LNZ while being down to ten men. What is your opinion about this game?
— First of all, both "Karpaty" and LNZ approached this match very seriously. Each coach studied the other's football well. As for me, the Cherkasy team lacked stability and concentration in the game — and "Karpaty" took advantage of this.
— After the resumption of the championship, the confident progress of "Veres", which has achieved two consecutive victories and moved up to seventh place in the standings, draws attention. However, the victory last Sunday over "Koloss" did not come without tension in the game...
— There is tension in every round. As it was in the reported matches: in particular, in "Shakhtar" — "Alexandria" and "Vorskla" — "Dynamo". In Rivne, even before Kharatin's winning goal, there was a controversial episode in which the question arose: "to award" a penalty or not "to award" one against "Koloss"? But despite these factors, both teams showed very high-quality football. However, luck smiled more on "Veres" than on its opponent. I believe that it is not worth attributing everything solely to a refereeing mistake. "Koloss" needs to sort out their actions, and "Veres" — their own.
— One of the contenders for a high final position, Zhytomyr’s "Polesie", drew 0:0 in an away match with "Obolon". For Polesie, is this result a loss of two points or an acquisition of one?
— Considering how "Polesie" positions itself, this is certainly a loss for them. However, if viewed from the perspective that "Obolon" is a tough team and its players also know how to play football, then for the Zhytomyr team one point is an acquisition. The Kyiv side also had moments they could have utilized. Therefore, a draw in this match was a natural outcome.
— Do you think the drone attack on the club base of Odessa "Chornomorets" could have affected the performance of the Odessa team in their home match against "Levyi Bereh", which they lost 0:1?
— Frankly speaking, in difficult times for our country — and not only for footballers but for any person, a "strike" creates a lot of nervousness and leaves a heavy moral mark. Especially when an enemy drone flies into the base. Therefore, I believe that this fact could also play a certain role. The "Chornomorets" players, who played at home, perhaps somewhere lacked inspiration. Everyone was in a depressed state, and I think the drone attack could have fully affected the "sailors". It’s sport, it’s football: if you go on the field, you must leave all thoughts outside its boundaries. Sometimes through "not being able to", you need to show character, or "Chornomorets" should have a leader ready to lead the team. However, the factors mentioned in no way diminish the merit of "Levyi Bereh".
Vyacheslav Kulchytsky
