The victory will give more confidence to the team
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
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Shakhtar midfielder Oleksandr Zubkov shared his impressions of the victory over Young Boys (2-1)
– Oleksandr, you scored Shakhtar’s first goal in this Champions League, and the team claimed the first victory in the European season. What are your emotions right now?
– To be honest, I am very, very tired right now, but the most important thing is that we gained three significant points. Hopefully this will give more confidence to the team. I also think that in the first half we had enough good chances, when we could have scored, and in the second half, of course, we got a little flat at the end, there was an onslaught. But I think we had more goal-scoring chances today, and that is why it is a well-deserved victory for us.
– Let’s recall the episode in which you scored, including Heorhii Sudakov’s assist.
– There was an attack, I saw that Kevin passed to Zhora to the goal line, and I just run to the goal, hoping that the ball would somehow slip through – and it did, and I scored into the empty net. So you can say it was a team goal.
– Today, in addition to the assist, Sudakov scored the winning goal and received the Player of the Match award. Have you already congratulated him personally, because we know that you are friends?
– Not yet, because we came here for an interview right from the field. Now we will go, because we have a tradition – to take pictures together. So we will see.
– How important is this win from the point of view of the team’s position in the standings? And how do you assess further chances of Shakhtar in this Champions League?
– Today, the most important thing is victory, the first victory in the Champions League. I hope that it will give the team confidence and we will move forward. It is too early to talk about any chances: we have to see how the other teams will play. We will see in which spot we are going to be after this round, but of course, we always aim to win in the Champions League, and we will do it as best as we can.
– Can we say that the match against Young Boys was the best for Shakhtar in this Champions League?
– Well, in terms of combination play and goals, probably yes, today was the best match.
– What can you say about the support of the fans, in particular, the Ukrainian ones?
– To be honest, it was our Ukrainian fans who we heard in the stands, so I thank them for their support. Come again, support us, and we will try to give you victories!
– To be honest, I am very, very tired right now, but the most important thing is that we gained three significant points. Hopefully this will give more confidence to the team. I also think that in the first half we had enough good chances, when we could have scored, and in the second half, of course, we got a little flat at the end, there was an onslaught. But I think we had more goal-scoring chances today, and that is why it is a well-deserved victory for us.
– Let’s recall the episode in which you scored, including Heorhii Sudakov’s assist.
– There was an attack, I saw that Kevin passed to Zhora to the goal line, and I just run to the goal, hoping that the ball would somehow slip through – and it did, and I scored into the empty net. So you can say it was a team goal.
– Today, in addition to the assist, Sudakov scored the winning goal and received the Player of the Match award. Have you already congratulated him personally, because we know that you are friends?
– Not yet, because we came here for an interview right from the field. Now we will go, because we have a tradition – to take pictures together. So we will see.
– How important is this win from the point of view of the team’s position in the standings? And how do you assess further chances of Shakhtar in this Champions League?
– Today, the most important thing is victory, the first victory in the Champions League. I hope that it will give the team confidence and we will move forward. It is too early to talk about any chances: we have to see how the other teams will play. We will see in which spot we are going to be after this round, but of course, we always aim to win in the Champions League, and we will do it as best as we can.
– Can we say that the match against Young Boys was the best for Shakhtar in this Champions League?
– Well, in terms of combination play and goals, probably yes, today was the best match.
– What can you say about the support of the fans, in particular, the Ukrainian ones?
– To be honest, it was our Ukrainian fans who we heard in the stands, so I thank them for their support. Come again, support us, and we will try to give you victories!