U21. Kolos vs Shakhtar: players' reaction
Sunday, March 8, 2020
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Shakhtar U21 players Dmytro Kryskiv and Kyrylo Melichenko reflect on the victory over Kolos U21 and their topping the league table
Dmytro Kryskiv, midfielder and captain:
“We started the match confidently: based on the coach’s plan, we operated aggressively and played the ball more forward, so we managed to score two early goals in the first half. Then, we somewhat calmed the play down, continuing to control the ball. Besides, the opponents had just ten men, which simplified our task. In the first half, Kolos just parked the bus and tried to play on the counter, but after the break they had no choice but to run forward. There were several dangerous situations near our goal, but we scored the third goal and secured a win. It's nice to finish the first stage of the Championship at the top of the table - this is a well-deserved result of the work of Fernando, the coaching staff and the whole team for eight months. But this is only the beginning. We’re facing the season’s major part - the games among the top six sides. Each game will be really tough, but we are ready!”
It’s important for us to become the sole leaders because we had been level with Dynamo for a long while. Now, we are preparing for a very interesting second part of the league campaign - there will definitely be no easy opponents or games
Kyrylo Melichenko, defender:
“We wanted to claim the maximum points in the game, to gain a foothold in the league’s top spot and to finish the season’s first part as the leaders. It all worked out. From the off, we charged forward because we understood that we needed to score an early goal to make it easier. The pitch here is not of the best quality, also being narrow, so we tried different attacking options, trying to play both through the center and through the flanks ... And then we saw that the defenders of Kolos position themselves high, trying to through the ball behind them. As a result, it was after Kostiantyn Hurov’s delivery that we managed to launch a counterattack, Fernando covered the ball with his body and forced the opponent to foul, with Mykhailo Mudryk excellently converting a free-kick. Having scored the second goal, we even got a bit complacent, because the opponents were short-handed and would hardly level it. Our third goal in the second half finally calmed the game and salted the game away. It’s very important for us to become the sole leaders because we had been level with Dynamo for a long while. Now, we are preparing for a very interesting second part of the league campaign - there will definitely be no easy opponents or games. Everyone is very serious about it and ready to fight for the title.”