Dynamo Kyiv youth team midfielder Danylo Ishchenko commented on his team’s home victory over Oleksandriya U-19 (3:1) in yesterday’s youth championship match.
Danylo Ishchenko— Was the match difficult today? How was this victory achieved?
— Yes, it was a hard-fought victory; we had many chances. We could have closed this game earlier, but it is what it is. The main thing is that we won and earned three points.
— You scored the first goal after a set piece. Is this something you work on during training?
— Yes, we practice set pieces during pre-match training. It was a good cross, I ran into the area and scored the goal.
— How typical is this goal for you personally?
— I score quite rarely, unfortunately, I don’t have that style, but I’m glad I managed to score. I’m happy that the team was able to win.
— How did your teammates congratulate you on the goal?
— Yes, they congratulated me. We all congratulated each other on the victory, whoever scored. And we are moving forward, preparing for the next game.
— Nevertheless, during the game, the head coach had quite a few criticisms of your performance. Are you satisfied with your game overall and what mistakes were there?
— Of course, there were mistakes. It’s hard to say now; we need to review the game, analyze it, correct the mistakes, and move on.
— With a score of 2:0, Dynamo conceded a goal. What was the reason? Was there some relaxation, as if you believed that the result was safe?
— I think we could have scored a third and a fourth goal. We missed our chances, and it came back to haunt us. One shot on our goal, and that tricky goal went in. Luckily, we managed to score a third one later and secure the victory.
— This is not your first season with Dynamo U-19. Many new players have joined the team. There are those who are more experienced from last season. Some of them came on as substitutes today since many missed games. How is the teamwork now?
— In the first games, it was harder; now we have established connections and some mutual understanding. Plus, injured players are slowly returning and helping us. Therefore, I believe that we are now reaching optimal condition, and I hope we will continue to win.
— Ihor Volodymyrovych said that in the first matches, the team played with a somewhat unusual tactical scheme. How difficult was it to adjust?
— Because some players were injured, we had to adjust a bit. But now we have returned to optimal conditions. We are playing the game we used to play. It’s much easier now, and victories are coming more easily.
