«Dynamo» continued its unsuccessful series of games in Europe. In the away match of the main stage of the Conference League, the Ukrainian champion lost to the Turkish «Samsunspor» — 0:3. The most interesting moments of the «Samsunspor» — «Dynamo» match were discussed with the well-known former goalkeeper of «Metalist» and «Tavriya», Serhiy Pogorelyi.
Sergey Pogorelyi— Historically, «Dynamo» plays well against Turkish teams. What was your view of the setup before the match?
— Honestly, before the match began, I assumed that our players could win. Amid all the talk about the crisis in Dynamo’s game, it seemed to me that in Samsun we could earn points. However, the game showed that Dynamo players fell apart even more.
It’s clear that something is happening within the team. Now either the head coach or the players need to have the club president’s support. If the team has a negative attitude towards the head coach, no matter who is put in, they will be «eaten» anyway. Be it Skala, Luzhnyi, or Rebrov. From the outside, everyone understands that there is a problem. However, during the war, one cannot play so listlessly for our country.
— The hosts opened the scoring in the second minute of the match.
— The generally good defender Tiare needs to be explained that he is playing in European cups. If in the Ukrainian championship he can outplay 2−3 opponents, in Europe quick decisions are needed. In general, I like this new defender, he tries to start attacks quickly. Another central defender, Popov, just kicks the ball forward into the struggle. And so, by the second minute, we were losing.
— Frankly, Dynamo created only one scoring chance in this game. In the 29th minute, Karavaev missed an empty goal, shooting from the goal area. Why does Dynamo create so little danger in attack?
— Each team plays as the opponent allows. Dynamo players lost all tackles, all neutral balls. We are not ready for pressure, pressing from the opponent. And the moment for Karavaev was superb. If Oleksandr had scored then, everything could have unfolded differently. Overall, I liked the atmosphere at the Turkish stadium, where the fans put pressure on the guests and supported their players. Among Samsunspor’s players, I would highlight Koulibaly — he contributed a lot to his team.
— The three central midfielders of Dynamo — Rubchynskyi, Mykhailenko, and Buyalskyi — couldn’t cope with their opponents?
— Yes, they couldn’t. They lost all duels. And holding the ball, they didn’t try to move forward. Shola Ogundana tried to break away on the flank, relying on his individual qualities.
— At 2—0, was it clear who the winner of the match was?
— It was clear at 1—0. There are many problems in the game of Kyiv Dynamo. Only in the 84th minute did the guests move forward with large numbers. Maybe Dynamo players need the scoreboard switched off, so they don’t know the current score. Otherwise, how to explain such activity only at the end of the match? After all, they could play only in attack, creating problems for their opponents.
— The statistical indicators of the Samsunspor — Dynamo game: shots — 16−5, shots on target — 5—0. These are simply humiliating numbers for the champion of Ukraine.
— I agree, it’s just killing statistics. Numbers don’t lie. We are used to Dynamo players always playing aggressively, yet here — not a single shot on the goal frame of the hosts' goalkeeper. I didn’t even notice which jersey the Samsunspor goalkeeper was wearing.
— After the match, Valentyn Rubchynskyi said in a comment: «We wanted to win, but it didn’t work out. I don’t know why.»
— They wanted to… I am surprised when a person does not state the reasons, although they are known to them. Only later, leaving the club, do they talk about them, spill the dirt. And now — I don’t remember, I don’t know. Believe me, inside the team, everyone knows. Fans need explanations, they need clear answers about the problems.
— In the next round of the Conference League, Kyiv Dynamo will host the Bosnian club Zrinjski. Can it be beaten?
— In football, everything is possible. But with such clubs, it is even harder to play. Believe me, in Ukraine, no one knows this team. Of course, much depends on the opponent’s game, but much also depends on Dynamo players. How they can rebuild during the course of the meeting.
Maybe some of our fans now think that «Zrinjski» is a player’s last name. However, it will also be hard to play against them. Much depends on the mood. Remember, recently in the Ukrainian Cup, «Agrotech», «Polissya» (Stavky) made noise. Such teams play on emotions and you never know what to expect from them. Let’s see what happens on November 6 in the match between «Dynamo» and «Zrinjski».
