Former «Shakhtar» defender Sergiy Yashchenko evaluated his former team’s match against Scottish «Aberdeen» (3:2) in the first round of the main stage of the Conference League.
— The first half was tough for «Shakhtar», as the home team set up, metaphorically speaking, a bus, and defended as best they could, — noted Serhiy Volodymyrovych. – Later, the «miners» managed to shake this bus, successfully finishing three attacks with wing crosses. This is important, as Aberdeen didn’t allow anything to be done through the center — everything had to be literally fought for.
“Shakhtar” was better than the Scottish team — both in terms of individual technique and team play. Passes and goals — everything was in sync, everything on time.
— What helped break through Aberdeen’s defense?
— Greater saturation of the attack — both with players and active actions. The «Shakhtar» players also significantly confused their opponents with positional changes. Additionally, the «miners» held the ball twice as much as the Scots. This, however, doesn’t always yield results, but this time «Shakhtar» managed to make the most of their advantage.
The attacking pressure from our Brazilians was too much for Aberdeen to handle, and at some point, their defense simply crumbled. It was through this attack that «Shakhtar» secured the victory. At this moment, the «miners» are fully ready for a tough physical battle, both physically and psychologically.
— What impression do you have of the game from «Aberdeen»?
— This is a team of average level. Yes, they are fighters, but they fell short of «Shakhtar» in tactics and often made mistakes in simple situations, which was a technical flaw. The only area in which «Aberdeen» did not fall short was their readiness to fight. Moreover, the Scottish team was more geared towards playing against the opponent than playing the ball.
— But they did score the second goal against «Shakhtar»…
— Yes, that Croatian — Lazetic, is quite a technical player, he received the ball well, turned around and shot on the touch. It’s unfortunate that in the moment of the follow-up, the «Shakhtar» defenders did not support Riznyk. However, that was just one episode. Overall, the match result is completely justified.
— It was noticeable how the strong wind impeded both teams from playing…
— That’s the worst thing about the weather, of all that can be. Even rain and cold don’t interfere as much. The wind carries the ball, and it’s hard to run, and calculating the trajectory of passes is not easy.
— What chances does «Shakhtar» have in the current tournament after this opening success?
— Such a win is inspiring. With this kind of play, we’ll still be taking points, and the haul at the end of the main stage should be good. Of course, we need to remember that any opponent in European competitions is dangerous. But what is very important is that «Shakhtar» received a powerful emotional boost in Scotland!
Oleh Leontsiuk