Kyiv Dynamo defender Denys Popov summed up yesterday’s match with Luhansk Zorya (1:1) in the 9th round of the Ukrainian championship.
Denys Popov— Why do you think Dynamo cannot win again? What is happening to the team? What is wrong?
— It’s hard to say what exactly is happening, I can’t name a single reason. But, I think it’s no longer a coincidence, but a pattern, unfortunately, in a negative sense. This draw is equivalent to a loss. I repeat, it’s difficult to determine unequivocally what the reason is. I just returned, trained for about a week, played a match. I believe the conceded goal was mine. I made a mistake when it was scored, I couldn’t hold the forward. But Budkovskyi is a good, experienced forward, it was not easy to restrain him.
— It’s not the first time Dynamo concedes in the last minutes — this happens consistently in matches where the team loses points. Did you prepare especially for the last minutes to be collected, to add intensity at the end?
— No, there was no special emphasis on this before the game. We just focused, as always, like before every match — on winning. But these last minutes... I don’t know, as if someone jinxed us. Five matches in a row without victories — I don’t remember such a thing.
— Are you thinking about the league table now? What will happen next?
— It’s all clear anyway. I don’t know what will happen next. Frankly, it’s even scary to look at the table. If I knew the exact reason for what is happening, I would tell you. But right now it’s very difficult for me to do that.
— You were in the locker room, what was the mood like there?
— Silence. Complete silence. What can you say? After the fight, you don’t swing your fists. We stumbled again, fell face-first in the mud. You can only prove something on the field, but we can’t manage to do that.
— Dynamo’s next game in the championship is against Kryvbas, who temporarily climbed to first place. Will it be any easier against this opponent?
— Right now, it’s difficult with all the teams. I don’t know how it will be. We’ll see.
— What do you expect from the next match in the Conference League against Turkish Samsunspor?
— It’s hard to say what I expect. We need to figure out what we’re lacking and perhaps what’s too much. The score speaks for itself. What can I tell you? You see everything yourself.
