Rio Ave vs Shakhtar: players’ opinion

- The essence of a friendly is allowing everyone to get enough playing time and avoiding injuries. In this context, today’s game turned out successful. We displayed a good performance, worked out all sorts of interactions on the pitch, with the coaching staff getting a maximum number of players involved. The wet pitch and a slippery ball have not caused particular troubles: yet in the warm up, we were working out in the rain and quickly adapted to the conditions. Defensively, we demonstrated cool and reliable performance, while the opponents pushed forward and were eager to come from behind. On the contrary, we managed to hit the Portuguese on the counterattack and seal a lopsided victory. It positively affects the mood ahead of important clashes against Celta.

- It was a difficult meeting with good opponents. In the first half, it was not easy for the guys, but in the end, things turned out just perfectly fine for us. When we emerged for the second half, we already had an advantage and could build up our game deploying counter-attacks. Thanks to that, we capitalised on Portuguese mistakes and registered a comfortable win. Preparation for the coming season is on top of our list, however, it is also important and always a pleasure to gain the upper hand.