The renowned Ukrainian coach Yuriy Virt shared his impressions of the Ukrainian Cup Round of 16 match between Kyiv’s 'Dynamo' and Donetsk’s 'Shakhtar' (2:1) and spoke about what he expects from the meeting of these teams in the 11th round of the Ukrainian championship, which will take place this Sunday in Lviv.
Yuriy Virt
— What are your impressions of the Ukrainian Cup match between 'Dynamo' and 'Shakhtar'? Were you surprised by this result?
— I don’t think the result was surprising. There was no clear favorite in this case. I believe that although 'Dynamo' won, it wasn’t entirely expected, but they were closer to victory.
Let’s note two different halves. The first half was definitely for 'Shakhtar,' as they attacked a lot and created a lot of chances. The key here is execution — if the Miners scored more than one goal, I think the winner would have been obvious. I was really surprised by Shakhtar’s lack of aggression in the second half — what were they counting on? I found it strange.
Credit must be given to 'Dynamo.' The team started working faster with the ball, increased their speed and aggression, and implemented high pressing to the maximum. I think the goals they scored matched what was happening on the football field.
The first half was clearly for 'Shakhtar,' and the second half was for 'Dynamo.' Better execution from 'Dynamo,' hence the score on the board.
— On Sunday 'Shakhtar' and 'Dynamo' will play again in the 11th round of the UPL. What is your prediction for this match?
— I think the teams will play in the same manner. 'Dynamo' will want to play both halves like their second half in Kyiv. 'Shakhtar,' knowing they gave away this win, will likely aim to perform both halves as they did in the first half.
Therefore, aggression from both sides will be evident from the first minutes. The teams will maintain a high tempo. I hope that there will indeed be more 'attack on attack' play and fewer positional attacks. I would like to see less tactics and more emotions on the football field, the passion that was present in Kyiv.
— Who would you name as the favorite in this match?
— I can’t give the edge to either side. I think it’s 50/50. Let’s go back to the execution of opportunities. The teams created a fair number of scoring chances, so I think whoever executes those opportunities better will win.
Anton Hreskiv
