Not the result we expected

– A tough game with a negative outcome. This is not the result we expected, and if we are to exit the competition, then, of course, not in this way. The second goal turned the game around: Drozd was on the wing with the ball and tried to pass it back to our player, but the ball accidentally hit his hand, which allowed the opponents to take possession. This led to a penalty and a second yellow card for Mylokost, and the score was 2-0. Under such conditions, it was difficult to count on a positive result. Despite the low level of refereeing, it is worth admitting that our play also left much to be desired. We did not demonstrate the football we should have shown and did not deserve to win or advance to the next stage. The third goal conceded very much characterizes our play: the defenders and the goalkeeper made mistakes that could have been avoided. At the same time, Bahlai was the first to reach the ball during the clearance, but the opponent, who was pressuring the goalkeeper, simply crashed into him. The episode involved both our mistake and the referee's, which generally reflects the course of events on the field. There are both subjective and objective reasons for our defeat. Hoffenheim U19 are the current champions of the German Youth League, which include footballers who regularly receive playing time with the first team at the Bundesliga level. In particular, left-back Behrens, centre-back Erlein and midfielder Micheler played in the Europa League matches against Tottenham and Anderlecht, and also participated in the previous matches of the senior team. At the same time, they were not included in the squad list for the game against Union, as they were preparing for the meeting with us. In addition, other footballers of the team play for Hoffenheim-2 in much stronger tournaments than U19. Our team captain Mykola Oharkov was out due to injury. If Hoffenheim U19 could have easily replaced any player, we were unable to do so. Oharkov was replaced by Mylokost, who recently played in the DUFL for Shakhtar U17. Compare the level of the DUFL and the third Bundesliga – the difference is obvious. A similar situation was also seen in the matches against Atalanta U19 and Arsenal U19. Despite everything, I think we achieved a significant result. Could we have performed better? Absolutely. I’m proud of the boys and the work they did and I’m grateful to them for that. Of course, there was a certain aftertaste left after the last match, but even playing against a more experienced team, in some episodes we should have acted differently. In general, it is a matter of a few days: we will analyse our mistakes and draw conclusions. I also want to emphasize that the broadcast of the match was absent, and people, reading the media, may think that some tragedy has happened. I understand that the media uses attention-grabbing headlines, but I urge you not to trust conditional Flashscores and instead check official sources. We had two sending-offs, not three. The first was a result of a repeated caution, that is, a tactical moment. The second was Bashmarin's sending-off after the game: out of emotions, he kicked the ball towards the opponents who were celebrating the victory. I had a conversation with him, although I understand that it is difficult to restrain emotions when you play on the opponents’ field under conditions when the referees openly support them.

– This season, Shakhtar U19 successfully completed the UEFA Youth League league phase but ended their campaign in the play-offs. How would you assess the team’s overall result in the European season?
– The UEFA Youth League is an extremely useful tournament for the development of young football players, and I’m convinced that it is difficult to find anything better for their progress. I’m proud of our players and the work of the coaching staff. We have gained invaluable experience, and it is worth considering the conditions in which we had to play. Not every senior team can withstand such a busy schedule, when there is little time for preparation and training due to constant trips. As I have already noted, most of our opponents have players who play at a higher level than the U19 championship. This creates additional difficulties, but at the same time is a very useful challenge. This season we played seven matches against teams with different playing styles, and I hope that this invaluable experience will help the players progress faster.