Defender of Dynamo Kyiv U-19, Vladyslav Zakharchenko, scored the only goal against the Scottish Hibernian U-19 in the home match of the 3rd round of the UEFA Youth League «Path of Champions» (1:0). After the game, he shared his impressions of this victory.
— Of course, it’s nice to score — for my position, it’s a rarity. It’s always pleasant when you score and lead the team to victory, but there is a second match, so it’s too early to celebrate, we need to finish the job.
— Ihor Kostiuk said that this goal is your favorite. You are scoring in the second home match of the UEFA Youth League — last time after a free-kick, now after a corner. Is it a coincidence?
— It’s just a coincidence, I don’t know. We played against a strong team, they are organized on the ball, do everything well. But I think we could have played much better too — the opponent allowed us to do that, but not everything worked out for us today. We will draw conclusions.
— Was the opposing team physically strong, were you ready for that?
— Yes, that’s Scottish football — they always play that way. We also go to the gym for a reason, so yes, we were ready. (Smiles).
— Three matches remain until the end of the calendar year. What needs to be done to finish the first half of the season at a good level?
— We need to recover, spend time correctly, go through procedures, sleep well. There is rotation, there are players who did not play today — maybe they will help the team in the next matches. We’ll see.
— In the UEFA Youth League, «Dynamo» plays against champions of their countries because it’s the path of champions. Didn’t you find «Hibernian» physically stronger than «Brommapojkarna»?
— For me, both teams are equally strong. I wouldn’t say it was easier against the Scots than against the Swedes. But if the team has reached this stage of the UEFA Youth League — it already indicates the level.
— How satisfied are you with the team’s defensive work in this match?
— We were prepared for their style of play and understood how they would create chances, so it didn’t catch us by surprise. They play a lot of vertical football, delivering passes behind the backs. We were ready for that. In the second half, we made adjustments, fixed what wasn’t working — and everything went well.
— How did the weather conditions in Poland — snow and cold — as well as training on artificial turf affect the game?
— I don’t think it plays a role. It’s unpleasant that we didn’t train on natural grass, but the opponent was in the same conditions, played in the rain, just like us. So it didn’t affect us.