U21. Shakhtar vs Stal: Pitmen’s comments

- We knew that we would be playing against a very good team, with whom you mustn’t relax even for a minute. We managed to score an early goal, also having other chances – we should have put a squeeze on the opponents actually. However, we failed to net more goals before the break, with everything changing in the second half. Nearly nothing worked for us: we didn’t succeed in midfield, making numerous passing errors and wrongly operating defensively, which resulted in our breached defence and dangerous situation near our goal. In the end, we managed to score two more goals on the counter, but we should admit that the scoreline does not quite reflect what was happening on the field. The main positive thing is that we have managed to claim the three points. Now we are going to get prepared for the meeting with Dynamo. This is the main match of the first part of the season. We must fight for each ball in every single challenge – that’s the only way for us to win.

- It all started very well: we scored an early goal and dominated possession. But then something happened. Either we ourselves lost concentration, or the opponents made us feel nervous and make errors by putting pressure on us. Having pacey wingers and fast players, we tried to operate on the counter, creating some good chances and even being able to decide the match outcome even in the first half. But we failed to score and left for the break at 1-0. In the second half, the opponents were attacking, making it difficult for us to resist them. Thanks to Oleh Kudryk – he rescued us on numerous occasions. Today he also rescued the team. At the end of the match, the opponents launched some all-out attacks, leaving some open spaces behind. We played on the counter twice and scored two more goals. Most importantly, we have earned the three points. We are facing the last game ahead, and we need to win it.