On Thursday, August 28, in the second leg of the playoff round of the Europa League qualifying, Kyiv’s Dynamo defeated Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv 1:0, but based on the aggregate score of two matches (1:3, 1:0), they failed to reach the main stage of the tournament (now the Kyiv team will play in the main stage of the Conference League). The match took place in Lublin at the "Arena Lublin". Here is the post-match press conference of Dynamo’s head coach Oleksandr Shovkovsky.
— Dynamo was first eliminated from the Champions League, losing to a not very strong team. Now Dynamo has been eliminated from the Europa League, losing to a not very strong team. Who is to blame for such a result?
— We lost to a team that will play in the main stage of the Champions League. If you consider it not very strong...
Undoubtedly, the result depends on the coach and the team’s actions. We lost to Maccabi in the first match when we conceded twice after a red card and our own mistakes. Today we had a chance to overcome that handicap. But we lacked individual skill. We accept the result.
And I have a question for you: by what criteria do you evaluate the strength or weakness of a team?
— When you played for Dynamo, your team faced Maccabi twice and won both times.
— So you are comparing a time when the country is at war with a time when there was no war in the country. Last night there was one of the strongest shellings of Kyiv. As of now, 23 people have died. And they are still clearing the rubble. When we woke up this morning, the first thing we did was read the news about all this and contact our loved ones. We play in such a situation.
That’s why we stepped onto the field wearing armbands—in recognition and support of our people. Moreover, tomorrow has been declared a day of mourning in Kyiv.
You are comparing teams from different decades. I consider that to be incorrect.
— Why was Shaparenko unable to enter the field on the first attempt when he replaced Pikhalyonok?
— Each player has certain "superstitions," some moments. The referee, as far as I understand, did not let Shaparenko on the field because he had some amulet on his arm. Which was very important for him.
— What are your team’s plans for the main stage of the Conference League, what objectives will it be pursuing in this tournament?
— For each match, we will prepare to show the maximum of our capabilities on the field. Meanwhile, starting tomorrow, we will prepare for the next match of the Ukrainian Championship. Therefore, there will be a break during which we will have the opportunity to calmly look at the whole situation. Today is August 28: exactly two months since we left Kyiv and we have not returned since then.
Oleksandr POPOV from Lublin