The head coach of “Shakhtar” Marino Pusich shared his thoughts on the victory in the final of the Ukrainian Cup against “Dynamo” (1:1, 6:5 after a penalty shootout).
Marino Pusich. Photo: shakhtar.com“This was a tougher season than last year, but by winning the Cup, we achieved our goal — we won one of the two national trophies. Thanks to this victory, we also have every chance to directly qualify for the group stage of the Europa League. For now, it’s still not final, as everything depends on the results in several other countries. Also, in the Champions League, we showed ourselves from a good side — for example, in the match against PSV. Our young team has taken a step forward in football terms, so overall, I have a positive impression of this season.
It was an intense match against “Dynamo,” which became the champion of Ukraine this season. We proved that we have a strong team capable of defeating anyone. The Cup was like a mini-championship for us. We defeated the first, second, and fourth teams of the tournament — and all this away, often after long travels. This makes our achievement even more impressive.
It’s nice that more fans were allowed to attend the final than usual in Ukraine — there were about 4000 people. I have never seen a match in Ukraine with such a large audience before. Due to the war, fan access to matches is limited. After the game, we had a great time on the field, and then, returning to the hotel in Kyiv, we continued the celebration with the team,” said Pusich.
