Former Kyiv Dynamo coach Leonid Buriak shared his impressions of his former team’s match against Bosnian Zrinjski (6:0) in the 3rd round of the main stage of the Conference League.
— Of course, after such a result, the mood is different, and our team’s play deserves compliments, — noted Buriak. — After the tough match against Shakhtar, there was concern for the starting segment of the match with Zrinjski. Therefore, the first 5−10 minutes were not easy for the Kyiv team. Teams from the former Yugoslavia are very prickly, they have many good players. Undoubtedly, Zrinjski is inferior in class to Dynamo, but the desired result in the European competitions still needs to be achieved; it requires fighting and grappling.
I liked that Dynamo scored goals for every taste. The special mood of the Kyiv side was palpable from the very start of the match, as it is very important not to concede first in European competitions.
— Was the substitution of Shola, who was the most active in Dynamo’s lineup, surprising during halftime?
— His play in the first half was very energy-intensive. Shola kept the opponent’s defense on edge without breaks. I don’t know, maybe it was a tactical substitution, because it seems Shola did not get injured. But Voloshyn, who came in for Shola, did not ruin things, either. Voloshyn needs to play and improve his skills.
— Dynamo resolved all questions about the outcome of this match within 11 minutes in the second half. Was everything done on time?
— Yes, three consecutive goals decided everything. I was pleased that all the goals were skillful — without deflections or anything like that... Everything was convincing.
— Blenuce marked his debut goal for Dynamo...
— And he did it classically, as a forward should. It’s noticeable that the whole team cares about him and supports him, just as they supported Guerrero when he was adapting.
— How should Dynamo build its strategy in the Conference League moving forward?
— For the «white and blues,» there never have been and never will be easy matches. Whether against Shakhtar or any other opponent, the maximum effort is required to earn points. Matches like the one against Shakhtar this season provide positive energy. In the confrontation with the Miners, Dynamo had the right to hope for more, but referee mistakes impacted the course of the meeting.
Of course, Dynamo’s calendar in this Conference League is challenging. Ahead are matches against Fiorentina and Cypriot Omonia. We must prepare for serious battles and definitely earn points there.
Oleh Semenchenko