The coach of «Dynamo U-19» Ihor Kostyuk commented on his team’s victory over «Kryvbas U-19» (6:0) in the U-19 National League.
Ihor Kostyuk— How difficult or, conversely, easy was today’s match against «Kryvbas»?
— We never have easy games. The scenario was basically the same as with «Zorya», with the only difference being that we couldn’t score. Today we played stronger, increased the intensity compared to previous matches, as we had nowhere to retreat, and couldn’t lose points. In the match against «Kryvbas», we even had to hold back the guys a bit, as they were eager to score as soon as possible, launching attack after attack, but it took a long time to score.
It’s good that we scored twice in the first half, gave some pointers and adjusted the actions during the break, and after the break, we had total dominance — scored many goals while reorganizing well defensively, high pressing in the low block. Today the guys were great, there’s no other way to say it.
— Despite the big score, until the 34th minute you couldn’t score. Was this due to excessive eagerness, as you said?
— Here, it comes down to coolness in the final stage of attacks. Until the 34th minute, we created numerous chances but couldn’t convert them. The opponent’s goalkeeper played very well, catching his rhythm and «pulling» almost everything. However, when there is constant pressure on the opponent’s defense, it will eventually crack, and in the end, our quantity of opportunities converted into quality.
— Considering that the team was pushing forward until the last minute and scored six goals against the opponents, there can’t be any complaints about the physical condition of the players after the trip to Poland for the UEFA Youth League match?
— The guys managed to recover. And I always tell them that everything depends on their internal state. If you think that because of the long journey you won’t be able to play at your highest level, then nothing will work out for you. But if you think about how much desire and strength you have, then the picture on the field will be completely different. Surely, we rotated the lineup, gave playing time to those guys who didn’t have much of it, maintaining a balance in the team, thanks to which the dynamics and intensity were at the highest level.
— Today different players were scoring against the opponent’s goal. Does this mean that the team currently lacks a pronounced striker, and any player can score?
— Basically, today the attacking line players were noted — Redushko, Andreyko, Ponomarenko, Lusin scored, and Zadorozhnyy converted a penalty. This indicates that in the finishing zone, all the guys reached the places they were supposed to reach, as we agreed before the match. This was not always achievable in previous games. But today, many managed to score — which means our team is working in the right direction, our structure is working correctly.
