Yesterday, October 1, the central match of the 2nd round in the group stage of the Champions League took place, in which Barcelona hosted PSG. The match ended with a victory for the Parisians (2:1), featuring Ukrainian defender Ilya Zabarniy, who played the entire match and became one of the best players of the game. Former Dynamo defender Anatoly Bessmertny agreed to characterize the actions of the 23-year-old footballer for Sport.ua.
Ilya Zabarniy (right)— Anatoly Petrovich, did the matchup between Barcelona and PSG go well?
— Despite the fact that several players were missing from both teams due to injuries, the individual and team class of the opponents was clearly visible. Two roughly similar football philosophies met. But in this battle, Luis Enrique proved to be stronger than Hans-Dieter Flick.
— Ilya Zabarniy played a key role in this match. Didn’t he?
— Without a doubt. The Ukrainian is slowly turning into a key player for Paris Saint-Germain. The defender played excellently in this match. He made saves, delivered great passes, and could have scored. Bravo!
— What helps him to integrate into his new team without pain so far?
— He is 23 years old, but it seems that he has been playing at a high level for about 10 years. I would place his character at the forefront; he has excellent technical skills. Even great masters would envy his first pass. Good tackling, backup cover, it’s all there. He has a foundation on which he can play in any team. This is a European-level defender, and this is evident not only at the club level but also in matches for the Ukraine national team.
— According to many statistical portals, Zabarniy became one of the best in the last game.
— If a Ukrainian footballer is compared to the best players in Europe, it indicates that we can only be proud of Ilya.
— For what main football quality would you take Zabarniy for your team?
— For the first pass after winning the ball. He has great field vision. I’ll also highlight his calmness and composure, regardless of how stressful the situation may be. For his age — it’s a phenomenal quality.
Sergey Demyanchuk
