Well-known manager and expert Vyacheslav Zakhovaylo shared his impressions of the matches between Dynamo and Shakhtar in the Ukrainian Cup and Ukrainian championship, which took place last week.
Vyacheslav Zakhovaylo— Throughout the week, our two giants met twice. What were the differences between the cup match and the championship encounter?
— There was a difference. In my opinion, comparing previous derbies between Shakhtar and Dynamo, the Cup game was less emotional. In the first half of that match, the Dynamo team did not look very good, while Shakhtar completely dominated. However, in the second half, everything was the opposite: Dynamo increased their pace, increased aggressiveness, and managed to secure a much-needed victory. Although after the first half of that encounter, it seemed unrealistic.
In the championship match, the picture of the confrontation was quite different. Shakhtar took to the game charged and looked better on the pitch, dominating in certain situations. If we talk about the drama of the derby in professional terms, both matches were not of a very high level. There were many personal mistakes among players of both teams. What was surprising was that the opponents played semi-open football. Neither Dynamo nor Shakhtar shut down.
Is this good or bad? I can say that for such confrontations, this is something new. Those who remember previous derbies find this unusual. Personally, evaluating the level of the «Ukrainian Clasico,» I can state: it has noticeably fallen.
— How much did the refereeing factor affect the result of the championship game?
— In the first, the cup match, nothing special in terms of arbitration was noticeable. There may have been some contentious moments, but they always occur in such games.
In the Sunday match, everything seemed fine, but in the 12th minute, there was dangerous play by Shakhtar’s player Marlon. This could have been a red card, but a yellow, which the referee showed, was one hundred percent. However, in this situation, I was lenient with the referee, as in my opinion, it was an «orange card.» This is because it was the start of the game, and leaving Shakhtar with ten would have meant everyone losing this show.
However, there are two opinions regarding this. If I were on the coaching bench, I would definitely demand that the episode be judged with all strictness. But being in the place of a neutral fan, I would agree that the referee limited himself to a «yellow card.» And obviously, as a Dynamo supporter, I wouldn’t hide my indignation.
The main episode was in the second half, related to an unawarded penalty against Shakhtar. Initially, I was one hundred percent convinced that the referees working on VAR did their job perfectly and saw no grounds for a penalty. However, after watching the episode from different angles, it became clear that it was a hundred percent penalty. The biggest fault of the referee who worked on VAR is that he did not properly check that moment and did not inform the main referee. This is very strange and not good.
However, the next morning after the game, the UAF Referees Committee admitted that there was a mistake on the part of the referee working on VAR. And if so, this referee should be punished severely so that no one else is tempted to do something similar. So it is quite understandable that Dynamo players are outraged.
I read that there were quite fair complaints from the coaches and the president of the capital club. And these are absolutely normal emotions. I believe that they rightfully resent. In such a match, all refereeing decisions are quite painful. I’ll say one more thing. Considering that the unawarded penalty was at the score of 2:1 in favor of Shakhtar, the claims of Oleksandr Shovkovsky that things could have been different are absolutely justified.
However, if you look at it from another angle, in case of awarding a penalty, it still had to be realized. And this is also an important fact. And I would like to add the most important thing: I would like to see the reaction of Rinat Akhmetov and Serhiy Palkin if the referee made such a decision against their team. One hundred percent, all over the media it would be said that Ihor Surkis bought everything. However, these are emotions that are always inherent in football. But if you look from a neutral point of view, Surkis is right. And Shovkovsky is right too. All official personnel confirmed the refereeing mistake, and that is a fact.
Therefore, emotions will continue to have a place, in connection with which I would like to advise the UAF Referees Committee to think about how to explain to players what is punished in the game and what is not. There should be a football primer, as is done on the example of the Czech Republic. The Football Federation of this country sends lecturers who acquaint players with various nuances of the rules, changes in them, and how they are applied.
However, be that as it may, Shakhtar looked convincing in the Sunday game, and I believe it deserved the victory. Even though I sympathize with Dynamo, I won’t say that the Kyiv team deserved to win. Absolutely not. Justice must prevail.
— Have Dynamo’s chances for the championship diminished in any way after the gap from Shakhtar increased to four points?
— At the moment, this gap is not critical. And I will try to explain why. Shakhtar is a young team, characterized by instability. Considering their performance in the European tournament, when the Ukrainian championship games take place on the fourth day, anything can be expected. Just recall the miners' October game with LNZ.
If a four-point gap fifteen years ago gave a chance and guaranteed something, now things are different. Dynamo and Shakhtar are not the same as they were then. Therefore, it is still too early to say anything about the championship. I’m sure both teams will lose points. So, we’ll see.
The main thing is that the second-round match between Dynamo and Shakhtar is still ahead. Therefore, I assess the chances as 50/50.
Andrii Pysarenko
