Renowned Belarusian coach Oleh Dulub commented on Kyiv Dynamo’s defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk (1:3) in yesterday’s match of the 11th round of the Ukrainian championship and evaluated the actions of the capital team’s players.
Oleh Dulub
— Oleh Anatoliyovych, even from television screens it was noticeable that the Classic in Lviv turned out to be extraordinarily emotional. How did you find the second match of the week between Dynamo and Shakhtar?
— It was during this game that I caught myself thinking that great football is returning to Ukraine. The support of the fans, the flares of Dynamo and Shakhtar fans — all this added to the atmosphere of an already very emotional match. Besides the emotional component, the game itself was quite intense, keeping the tension until the last minute. I would say that everything went according to the script of the previous cup game. The match could have ended in a draw.
Dynamo even added in intensity, compared to the previous Classic.
Although this is already their fourth game in quite a tight schedule. I think the first conceded goal affected the entire course of the meeting. There was a moment in the 45th minute when Pikhaliyonok slipped through the flank and made a cross, but Yarmolenko was just short of the ball. And Ogundana did not play to position and could have scored a goal in an empty net.
Then Dynamo scored, but Kabaev’s goal after a corner was disallowed due to an obvious offside. I repeat, according to the plot, the game should have turned around at 2:2. This reminded me of last year’s game at Arena Lviv, when Dynamo came from 0:2 to tie 2:2.
— So you can say that this match was much closer to 2:2 than to 3:1 in favor of Shakhtar?
— I will say even more: upon arriving home, I reviewed the episode with Konoplia’s foul on Ogundana in Shakhtar’s penalty area. In my opinion, it was definitely a penalty. Shola was first to the ball, Konoplia crashed into him, and then further provoked.
— Do you agree that Denis Popov, after the victory over Shakhtar in the Ukrainian Cup (2:1), added extra intensity to this confrontation by making remarks to the current Brazilians of Shakhtar, calling them a parody of the previous 'miners' legionnaires?
— Perhaps some misunderstood his words. As for me, Denis was comparing the level of those Brazilians from Shakhtar against the current ones. But the former legionnaires he referred to were already experienced performers at that time. Of course, Popov added motivation to Shakhtar. When there are two such back-to-back high-level games, any careless word can be taken out of context and used to further motivate your players. This is exactly what we saw.
Even the episode in the 13th minute of the match, when Marlon Gomes jumped with both feet at Popov... In my opinion, the referee had every reason to show a red card for such a foul (ultimately, the main referee of the match Vitaliy Romanov gave Marlon Gomes a yellow card, — ed.). If Popov hadn’t managed to retract his leg, he could have suffered a very serious injury. I think the main referee of the match should have controlled the game better.
— What else influenced such a result of the match?
— I’ll start with the starting lineup. In the position of central forward, instead of Luke Meirelles, Eghinaldu appeared. This decision was predictable. One of Dynamo’s main problems is the play in the air after flank passes. This is precisely how Meirelles scored in the previous Classic. Now Turan decided to use Eghinaldu in this position, who not only possesses good speed qualities but also plays very well in the air.
The second moment is Popov’s motivational speech. I think it might have influenced Marlon Santos' appearance in the center of Shakhtar’s defense. He is a 30-year-old experienced player who enjoys great authority among the other young Brazilian players of the 'miners'. All this worked as early as the third minute.
But this was preceded by a loss of the ball on Dynamo’s left flank of defense, which led to a corner. I was sitting with a friend in the stands and immediately told him: 'It looks like there’s going to be a goal now'. And that’s what happened.
— In that episode, Eghinaldu broke free from Pikhaliyonok’s marking but scored from under Popov. Who among the Dynamo players can be blamed for the first conceded goal?
— First of all, I would note the skill of Pedrinho, who made a resultative cross to Eghinaldu. The miners used two blocks of players in this episode: the first for Brazhko, the second for Popov. And it was in that space that Eghinaldu opened.
Of course, Pikhaliyonok did not play out this episode with Eghinaldu. As I understand it, Dynamo used a combined method of defense when defending at corners. So Pikhaliyonok clearly did not play to the end. But in my opinion, 70% of these episodes are about the quality of the cross. And here Pedrinho performed masterfully.
— Shakhtar’s second goal — a magnificent long-range shot by Neverton. Again, not without the 'participation' of Pikhaliyonok, who allowed the Brazilian legionnaire of the 'miners' to take a shot.
— Neverton’s goal is very similar to the one scored by Meirelles in the cup Classic. Right from the start of the attack. Pedrinho goes into the half-flank, making a quality cross aimed at Eghinaldu. However, Popov plays the ball into the flank, picked up by Pedro Enrique, who passes to Neverton.
Here, in this situation, when a player enters the half-flank under his working foot from the flank, it is necessary to meet more aggressively, particularly for the flank defender — Karavaev, who was a meter away, or Pikhaliyonok. But neither the first nor the second coped with this task. Well, one cannot help but note Neverton’s performance skills.
Player Ratings for Dynamo
Ruslan Nescheret — 6.0
— We actually have three goals conceded. The first goal — a close-range header by Eghinaldu, the second — a stunning shot by Neverton, and the third — Kabaev’s own goal.
I would note Nescheret’s uncertain play on exits during Shakhtar’s flank crosses. Not once did he come out, and all these balls fell into Dynamo’s penalty box. It’s still good for him that the 'miners' only scored once in this style — after a corner cross.
Kostyantyn Vivcharenko — 6.5
— Vivcharenko played the match approximately at his level. It is unlikely that any major claims can be made against him regarding his play. Overall, he closed his flank and did not allow Pedrinho to manifest himself in full.
Aliou Tiare — 7.5
— In my opinion, this is one of his best matches for Dynamo. Very good reading of the situation, tenacity in selection — he won everything in the air. I will note that from match to match, Tiare is adding quality in the first pass, the very beginning of attacks. His two passes in the second half through two lines of Shakhtar players were just gorgeous. In my opinion, Tiare is one of the best players of Dynamo in this match.
Competition with Mykhalk? In my opinion, Taras surpasses Tiare in the quality of the first pass, while Aliou performs better in the air. Their speed is about the same.
Denys Popov — 7.0
— Popov did not fall for Shakhtar players' provocations, although he could, knowing his fiery character. Overall, he played the match at a fairly high level. Regarding the first goal, I already said that Popov was blocked, and Eghinaldu had to be played out by Pikhaliyonok to the end.
Oleksandr Karavayev — 7.0
— He took a direct part in the attacking goal, giving a very quality pass for Buyalskyi’s resultative shot from the right flank. The only negative is the moment with Shakhtar’s second goal. If Pikhaliyonok did not keep up, Karavayev should have entered this interception zone more actively. Moreover, Neverton by position is precisely his player.
Volodymyr Brazhko — 6.5
— Brazhko in this game was unable to perform as well as he did in the previous match against Shakhtar. Probably his only major mistake was the moment with the third goal of the 'miners', when he allowed the ball to bounce off the turf. I think Brazhko just poorly assessed the situation, not spotting the player who was behind him.
Oleksandr Pikhaliyonok — 6.0
— The first goal conceded — from under him. He openly did not play out in that episode. The second Shakhtar goal also raises questions: why didn’t he close down Neverton more aggressively? This is not the same Pikhaliyonok as in the previous Classic, which was sprawling in tackles, taking balls and energizing the game.
Vitaliy Buyalskyi — 8.0
— Buyalskyi scored a goal and performed a huge amount of work, interacting brilliantly with Yarmolenko. Early in the second half, he delivered a very clever shot to the far corner of Shakhtar’s goal, but Riznyk managed to drag that shot. This is exactly the Buyalskyi who is very good at reading the game, making fine passes, initiating attacks, and not yielding in the fight. In my opinion, Buyalskyi is the best player of Dynamo in this Classic.
Shola Ogundana — 6.0
— Compared to the previous game, it didn’t get any better… The adaptation period is dragging on. Here’s an example from the 35th minute: Dynamo presses with the foursome of Yarmolenko-Kabaev-Buyalskyi, and Shola is missing barely a meter to close a pass, after which an attacking chance could have arisen.
The second moment — the 45th minute: Yarmolenko is running at maximum speed for Pikhaliyonok’s cross, and Ogundana at this time only enters the penalty area! A young guy... Although overall — it’s his duty to cover the far post. If Romanov had awarded a penalty against Shakhtar for a foul on Shola, it might have added positivity to his game. But as it stands…
Vladyslav Kabaev — 7.0
— He performed a large amount of work and participated in Dynamo’s attacking goal. And this own goal in the last minutes of the match, rather, characterizes Kabaev from a better side. At the maximum speed in the 90+4 minute of the match, returning to the penalty area is costly. Yes, the ball was not cleared, but more of an accidental occurrence.
Andriy Yarmolenko — 7.0
— Again, a very good interaction between Yarmolenko and Buyalskyi. Andriy was excellent at holding onto the ball, initiating attacks, playing around. Yes, he did not manage to score, although there was a moment at the end of the first half. But it wasn’t enough. In general, one can say that using Yarmolenko at the tip of Dynamo’s attack has so far justified itself.
— Behind 11 rounds and the first Classic within the UPL. Do you see a favorite in the fight between Dynamo and Shakhtar for the championship now?
— I think the situation is on a knife-edge. Six rounds ago, it was Dynamo ahead of Shakhtar by four points. Now everything is reversed. In my view, everything will be decided in the spring Classic.
— Can any other team compete with them?
— It’s hard to say. Even historically, without considering the first Ukrainian championship, the gold medals were contested between Dynamo and Shakhtar. Very rarely could someone intervene in this rivalry. At the final stage, when both teams approach the finishing stage, the players' qualifications and management’s work come to the forefront. In such showdowns, there are no trifles.
— Ahead of our giants are matches in the Conference League: Shakhtar will play with Breida, while Dynamo will host Zrinjski. In what state are our clubs approaching these European competitions?
— There will be three days of rest, but the travels clearly do not contribute to player recovery. Moreover, such matches, paired Classics, take a lot of psychological energy. It will be tough to recover precisely for European matches. Both teams will definitely need rotation. And then we’ll see how the coaching teams of Dynamo and Shakhtar cope with this task.
Vladyslav Liutostanskyi
