The universal player of Kyiv’s “Dynamo” Oleksandr Karavayev commented on the victorious away match against “Kryvbas” (2:0).
Oleksandr Karavayev (photo: fcdynamo.com)<!-— post-cut -->
— What difficulties did you face when preparing for the match? A long trip, the team staying overnight in another city, arriving in Kryvyi Rih on match day…
— Of course, it’s tough, but these are the realities, we need to adapt to them. If there were no war, then there wouldn’t be such problems.
— Experts called the game against “Kryvbas” one of the key ones for “Dynamo”. Do you agree with this statement?
— All our games are key, the game against “Left Bank” in the previous round was also a key match. If we hadn’t won there, everything would have been different. The next match will be even more important. With each match, it gets harder and harder, regardless of the opponent, as each team wants to take points from us, and we strive to maximize our gains.
— Was there a task to score a quick goal?
— There wasn’t a specific plan like that. We always try to adhere to the chosen game plan — of course, it’s about playing disciplined both in attack and in defense. It’s important to play to keep a clean sheet at the back, and upfront we have very qualified players who can create scoring opportunities at any moment.
— Andriy Yarmolenko scored another goal today.
— You see for yourself, what experience and class he has. I’m glad to have the opportunity to play alongside legends like Yarmolenko and Buyalsky. These are moments that can end at any time.
— Some referee decisions were controversial and affected the end of the meeting…
— I don’t want to discuss refereeing, I understand that they have a tough job too. There are mistakes on the field, of course, just like with the players. In my subjective opinion, referees try to officiate fairly with respect to both teams, unbiased, so I never have questions for the referees.
— When the team was reduced to ten men, it was important to hold on to the winning score. What comes to the forefront in such cases?
— It’s all about the complex. First of all, it was necessary to show character, to work for the partner who was sent off, as we understood that a team like “Kryvbas” exerts good pressure and attacks smartly even in equal numbers, and having one player less makes it even harder against them.
But at the same time, in such moments, you can catch the opponent on counterattacks, as they go forward with great numbers, and we, I repeat, have players ahead who can create moments and convert them.
— Was this the most emotional match for “Dynamo” in the spring part of the championship?
— At this stage, probably yes. I personally know Yuriy Mykolaiovych, how he can motivate the team, so I perfectly understand the mood with which the opponents came to the game.
