Most important game is next one
Sunday, April 11, 2021
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Shakhtar U19 head coach Oskar Ratulutra commented on his team's narrow away win over Mariupol U19
- Please share your first impressions of the victory over Mariupol.
- The opponents gave us the initiative, playing defensively. It wasn’t easy to rip open such tight defence. It's good that Honcharuk managed to score in one of the attacks. It’s not easy to get chances near the opponents’ goal while operating reliably in defence.
- Shakhtar kept a clean sheet. How satisfied are you with your defending?
- I always say that attacking players work on defence just like defenders, so credit for that goes to the whole team. I’m grateful to the defenders for their concentration because in this kind of clash you need to be watchful from the first to the last minute. It's good that we managed to play strictly.
- Could the victories over Vorskla and Mariupol be a positive impetus before the decisive meeting with Dynamo?
- In terms of confidence - definitely! This match and the previous one against Vorskla will help a lot. But we always tell the guys that the most important game is our next one.
- Captain Illia Hulko made his milestone 30th appearance in the youth league. How important is this player for the team?
- Illia benefits us a lot. He is the captain and is really helpful both on and off the pitch. Now we field Illia as a central defender, although usually he plays higher. However, in our team, all the guys know that they must be able to play at any position. Modern football requires versatile performers who can adapt and act competently anywhere.
- The opponents gave us the initiative, playing defensively. It wasn’t easy to rip open such tight defence. It's good that Honcharuk managed to score in one of the attacks. It’s not easy to get chances near the opponents’ goal while operating reliably in defence.
- Shakhtar kept a clean sheet. How satisfied are you with your defending?
- I always say that attacking players work on defence just like defenders, so credit for that goes to the whole team. I’m grateful to the defenders for their concentration because in this kind of clash you need to be watchful from the first to the last minute. It's good that we managed to play strictly.
- Could the victories over Vorskla and Mariupol be a positive impetus before the decisive meeting with Dynamo?
- In terms of confidence - definitely! This match and the previous one against Vorskla will help a lot. But we always tell the guys that the most important game is our next one.
- Captain Illia Hulko made his milestone 30th appearance in the youth league. How important is this player for the team?
- Illia benefits us a lot. He is the captain and is really helpful both on and off the pitch. Now we field Illia as a central defender, although usually he plays higher. However, in our team, all the guys know that they must be able to play at any position. Modern football requires versatile performers who can adapt and act competently anywhere.