The coach of "Obolon", Oleksandr Antonenko commented on the match of the 5th round of the Ukrainian championship against "Dynamo" on UPL.TV.
Oleksandr Antonenko— For us, any point is like a victory. We constantly try to play for the win, but the result is the most important thing right now. A draw is also positive for us, especially considering that this is the champion of Ukraine, a team that competes in European competitions, with almost half of their squad playing for national teams.
— You said before the match that the status of the champion of Ukraine speaks for itself. But how did you prepare specifically for "Dynamo"? What did you do over these two weeks to go out and show your teeth?
— I can’t reveal all the details of how we analyze the opponent. But I think the guys didn’t even need reminding that we were playing against "Dynamo" Kyiv. Everyone understood: this is the champion of Ukraine, a team that represents the country on the European stage, where both national team players and other top performers play. We prepare thoroughly for each opponent. Here, we focused on quick counterattacks.
— And that was evident. You essentially gave the ball to "Dynamo," but controlled the space.
— Yes, of course. We understood that "Dynamo" would have more possession of the ball, so our task was to control the space. In some ways it worked out, while in others it didn’t. But in the end, when we needed to equalize, we started to push forward. And thank God, we managed to do that.
— You even had a chance at the end to snatch more, but the referee called a foul. How would you assess that moment?
— If the referee made that decision, then there was probably a foul. I don’t want to comment on the referee’s actions. There are competent authorities for that, let them handle it.
— Does this draw, considering that "Dynamo" had been undefeated since May, give the team more confidence?
— Of course. We emphasized to the guys: "Dynamo" hadn’t lost in the league since May. And they went out, did well, and showed character. We once again had young players in the game who are already contenders for national team calls. We take pride in that and want to prepare them further for the Ukrainian championship and the national team.
— I wanted to ask specifically about one player who was initially left on the bench today. Was that a tactical decision?
— Yes. He works very hard, sometimes even too much. It was evident that he lacked freshness, so we decided to let him rest. He came on as a substitute and scored. This confirmed that the decision was the right one.
