Kyiv Dynamo midfielder Oleksandr Pikhalyonok commented on his team’s loss to Cherkasy LNZ (0:1) in today’s match of the 12th round of the Ukrainian championship.
Oleksandr Pikhalyonok. Photo — Yu. Yurieiev— I am dissatisfied with the result and the fact that we hardly created any chances near the opponent’s goal. More precisely, there were very few; we failed to intensify the game. The LNZ team played with a low block — 5−3−2, and it’s very difficult to break down this defense. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do it today.
Moreover, we conceded a lot of counterattacks. Almost every time we lost the ball, we were forced to run back 60−70 meters. It’s very exhausting, especially when the players are positioned incorrectly on the field. The same happened in the moment with the conceded goal, which resulted from losing the ball, a pass into the free space, and once again, we had to run 60 meters.
— Is it disappointing to concede a goal practically «in the locker room»?
— Yes, of course; although it’s always disappointing to concede. But we knew the match would be very tough. The opponent had a week-long preparation cycle, so they were a bit fresher, but, of course, that’s not an excuse. When you go out to play, especially in the Dynamo jersey, every match is important — I’ve said this many times. Unfortunately, we lost today because we created few chances and allowed the opponent to create too many.
— LNZ this season is a real «tough nut»: they defeated Shakhtar and were in third place in the standings, and now they’ve even moved up to second. When you were preparing for this game, you probably understood well that it would be difficult?
— Of course. It’s always difficult to play against them. In general, it’s never easy to play against teams coached by Vitaliy Ponomaryov, I remember this from when he worked at Rukh. His teams have always been combative; the players work at their maximum and play well «one-on-one.» Unfortunately, we deservedly lost today.
— Did the shelling that occurred the day before affect the team’s mood, preparation, and play?
— Of course, they affect to some extent. We often travel to Poland, and when we play there, for example, in European competitions, we wake up in the morning and the first thing we do is read the news, because, for example, my family stays here in Ukraine. And, of course, this cannot but affect us because when we return to Ukraine, the situation affects us all as well. But everyone prepares under the same conditions — this is the Ukrainian championship. In almost all cities, there are explosions, rockets, «shaheeds»... The conditions are the same for everyone.
— You were included in Ukraine’s reserve list for the crucial World Cup 2026 qualifiers. What are your expectations from the match against France?
— We need to go out and play. Clearly, matches against France are always very difficult, especially away. I think it will be very tough. But we have to fight, and then whatever will be, will be.
