Senior coach of Kyiv’s «Dynamo U-19» Ihor Kostyuk summed up the results of the home match of the Ukrainian youth championship with «Kolos U-19» from Kovaly (1:0).
Ihor Kostyuk— We earned three points today. It was a tough game — the pitch was very peculiar. Familiar to the opponent, unfamiliar to us.
We created many chances, especially in the first half, but something was hindering in the end. We attribute this to the quality of the surface because someone slightly missed, or shot in the wrong direction. It played a key role today in not scoring our goals, and the tension persisted until the end. But we took three points — that’s what’s important.
— Due to an injury, Nazar Ivaskiv had to leave the field in the first half. Is there any information about his condition now?
— We will diagnose it and then understand. It may be a bruise or some kind of injury. We’re not sure yet.
— Players who were part of the Ukrainian youth and junior national teams last week have returned to the team. How much does their return strengthen the team?
— Of course, they returned in good spirits. Redushko and Hubenko won three games in the Euro 2026 qualifiers (U19). Yes, they didn’t score today, but they contributed to the victory. This only adds confidence.
The practice and experience they gain in the national team are incomparable. These are completely different emotions. They represent their country. They did well, we congratulated them. And today, they played well and made their contribution.
— In the previous two seasons, «Dynamo» failed to beat «Kolos». Is today’s victory special for you?
— We see that all teams show their best version against us. They can take points, prove themselves, show that they are no worse than «Dynamo» players. Therefore, in every game, they try to show their best version.
We understood that today would be such a game. Moreover, it’s their home field, which they are used to. It was a little harder for us to adapt. But we won the game — that’s the main thing.
— At the end of the game, Vladyslav Zakharchenko received two yellow cards. How did you perceive this moment?
— I asked the main referee why he gave the second yellow card. He said that Zakharchenko disagreed with the referee’s decision. However, there was no disagreement. The referee asked why the rules were broken. Zakharchenko simply said that the added time had already ended and asked how long we would play.
I don’t see disagreement with the referee’s decision here. We will talk to Vladyslav because you can’t argue with referees and receive such unfortunate cards.
— On Wednesday, «Dynamo» will play their first match against «Hibernian» in the UEFA Youth League. What are your expectations from this encounter?
— In the Youth League, there are no easy opponents, all are champions of their countries. «Hibernian» is no exception. They are a very dynamic team, very fast, and well-organized. They defeated «2 Koriku».
We are preparing for them, it will be a tough match. We are leaving on Sunday, there will be recovery. Currently, it’s snowing in Poland, so we hope the quality of the pitch will be more or less decent to showcase quality football.
