I was sure I’d score
Thursday, April 18, 2019
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Shakhtar midfielder Dentinho reflects on winning the Ukrainian Cup semi-final
- Dentinho, congrats on your goal! Just six minutes on the pitch were enough for you to score one. Did you catch the mood right away?
- This is all the result of my work because I’ve waited so long for the opportunity. I had injuries that prevented me from playing, but God has blessed me. I really make every effort and give my all, and now I'm just happy to have benefited the team!
- You scored at the crucial moment. What did you feel after the goal?
- Relief, because Shakhtar were fighting, delivered a great performance, but we couldn’t open the scoring. I was sure I could score a goal that would be helpful. When I did that, was incredibly happy!
- Why didn’t you manage to net one earlier?
- Because Dnipro-1 are a good team with an excellent coach who has been working with the footballers for quite a long time. They are the First League leaders for a reason. And we knew perfectly well that they would complicate our task a lot. The rivals who play Shakhtar always give their all on the pitch, because our club is the strongest in Ukraine. In the encounters with us, everyone plays to the max. But we still managed to score and win.
- There were almost 19 thousand fans at the stadium. Do you like playing in this atmosphere?
- Yes, of course! I’ve been in Ukraine for a long time, and there used to be a great lot of fans in the stadium previously. We are missing the atmosphere. It's great when the stands are filled with spectators who support their teams.
- In the final, you are facing Inhulets. How serious are the opponents?
- I think we are facing another difficult game. They overcame Zorya in the semi-finals, so our team must be very well prepared and focussed. We expect a tough match - in no case should we expect a simple game. We will focus on getting the trophy to the max.
- This is all the result of my work because I’ve waited so long for the opportunity. I had injuries that prevented me from playing, but God has blessed me. I really make every effort and give my all, and now I'm just happy to have benefited the team!
- You scored at the crucial moment. What did you feel after the goal?
- Relief, because Shakhtar were fighting, delivered a great performance, but we couldn’t open the scoring. I was sure I could score a goal that would be helpful. When I did that, was incredibly happy!
- Why didn’t you manage to net one earlier?
- Because Dnipro-1 are a good team with an excellent coach who has been working with the footballers for quite a long time. They are the First League leaders for a reason. And we knew perfectly well that they would complicate our task a lot. The rivals who play Shakhtar always give their all on the pitch, because our club is the strongest in Ukraine. In the encounters with us, everyone plays to the max. But we still managed to score and win.
- There were almost 19 thousand fans at the stadium. Do you like playing in this atmosphere?
- Yes, of course! I’ve been in Ukraine for a long time, and there used to be a great lot of fans in the stadium previously. We are missing the atmosphere. It's great when the stands are filled with spectators who support their teams.
- In the final, you are facing Inhulets. How serious are the opponents?
- I think we are facing another difficult game. They overcame Zorya in the semi-finals, so our team must be very well prepared and focussed. We expect a tough match - in no case should we expect a simple game. We will focus on getting the trophy to the max.