Everyone had double motivation
Friday, April 10, 2026
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Shakhtar defender Valerii Bondar spoke to MEGOGO about the victory over AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals
– Valerii, congratulations on the win! What are your impressions of the victory over AZ?
– Good impressions! We won, but the job is not done yet because this is European competition and anything can happen. We are already focused on the next match against LNZ. We are happy that we managed to secure such an important victory and, above all, to please our president, as it was his first time at the stadium in 12 years. Everyone had double motivation to make him happy, to give him positive emotions, and above all to see him. We are very happy that we managed to win and give him that emotion.
– Did you find out about this before the match?
– We found out a little earlier, but we didn’t know whether he would definitely come. Later, at the stadium, we saw that the president had arrived and of course that was an additional motivation and also pressure for everyone. As for the match itself, it was very difficult to break down AZ’s defence because they played quite deep for long periods.
– Were you prepared for exactly that or were you preparing more for AZ Alkmaar also attacking, as they usually do, or did you have to adapt during the match?
– We were informed about the team’s strengths and weaknesses. AZ control the ball very well and are very good in possession, but all teams that play well with the ball have issues in transitional phases, as well as weak points. We understood that they are very dangerous with the ball, but it was important to take our own chances when they came, whether in counterattacks or positional attacks.
– Did things get easier on one hand after the first goal because AZ started attacking and opening up, which meant you had to do more defensive work?
– That’s basically normal. The opponents are trying to come back, and we want to take advantage of the moment and extend the lead, so we were ready for that.
– You were involved in the second goal, playing an important role during a set piece. Was that also something you had analysed, given that AZ Alkmaar are a dangerous team from set pieces and also, in particular, from throw-ins?
– The coaches always emphasise that we must go and believe that we will score from a set piece. I think there was enough of that belief during the match.
– Good impressions! We won, but the job is not done yet because this is European competition and anything can happen. We are already focused on the next match against LNZ. We are happy that we managed to secure such an important victory and, above all, to please our president, as it was his first time at the stadium in 12 years. Everyone had double motivation to make him happy, to give him positive emotions, and above all to see him. We are very happy that we managed to win and give him that emotion.
– Did you find out about this before the match?
– We found out a little earlier, but we didn’t know whether he would definitely come. Later, at the stadium, we saw that the president had arrived and of course that was an additional motivation and also pressure for everyone. As for the match itself, it was very difficult to break down AZ’s defence because they played quite deep for long periods.
– Were you prepared for exactly that or were you preparing more for AZ Alkmaar also attacking, as they usually do, or did you have to adapt during the match?
– We were informed about the team’s strengths and weaknesses. AZ control the ball very well and are very good in possession, but all teams that play well with the ball have issues in transitional phases, as well as weak points. We understood that they are very dangerous with the ball, but it was important to take our own chances when they came, whether in counterattacks or positional attacks.
– Did things get easier on one hand after the first goal because AZ started attacking and opening up, which meant you had to do more defensive work?
– That’s basically normal. The opponents are trying to come back, and we want to take advantage of the moment and extend the lead, so we were ready for that.
– You were involved in the second goal, playing an important role during a set piece. Was that also something you had analysed, given that AZ Alkmaar are a dangerous team from set pieces and also, in particular, from throw-ins?
– The coaches always emphasise that we must go and believe that we will score from a set piece. I think there was enough of that belief during the match.