We fully deserved to win
Monday, April 20, 2026
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Shakhtar defender and scorer of the winning goal in the match against Polissia Valerii Bondar shared his impressions of the game in an interview on Football 360
– Congratulations on the victory! We would like to hear from you about this goal: how did it happen?
– It was a corner kick, and we have practised set pieces, so we know who runs where. There was a good delivery, Volynets made a mistake, and I scored with my knee. It was a very good cross, and I managed to get on the scoresheet.
– This season you have already scored your fourth goal, which is a record in your career. We only know that you managed to score as many in your youth career. What has led to this success this season and what motivates you?
– You know my football story very well since my youth days, so thank you for that. Probably what motivates me is that my wife and I are going through a special stage in our lives – she is pregnant, and this gives me double motivation and responsibility when I go onto the pitch. We did not talk about it for a long time, but after we shared the news, I just could not manage to score a goal. We agreed that when I scored, I would celebrate by putting the ball under my shirt, and that was my dream. Thank God, everything worked out: I scored and brought very important three points for the team, so I’m very happy.
– What happened before the match that led to Marlon Gomes not playing?
– After the warm-up, he felt discomfort in his muscle. Marlon said he trusts Bondarenko and stressed that he did not want to let the team down. It was an unexpected situation.
– Watching the first half, we were surprised that Shakhtar had no shots. Clearly, not everything worked in attack. Why?
– Everyone knows that Ruslan Rotan’s team are very well organised and, above all, disciplined in defence, so it was difficult to create chances. At times, we did not fully use our best qualities in the right way. In general, we understood that this was a match that could be decided by a single goal. We knew we had to be patient and keep pressing the opponents. I think, overall, we fully deserved to win and the score could have been more convincing.
– Patience is one thing, but strength is something different. You’re now playing your fourth match in this congested schedule, which has only just begun, with Kyiv, Rivne, Kraków, Kyiv again, and then London ahead. We heard from Darijo Srna that there is rotation and the team are ready. Personally, do you have enough time for recovery and at least some training?
– To be honest, in these 20 days since we started training, I remember that you go onto the pitch and you only have a pre-match session, and after that a day or two of recovery. If you play every two or three days, it is better physically than playing once a week for me personally. However, we know that in our country travel is not easy, so recovery on the bus does not affect you in a good way. We try to do everything the doctors tell us because we understand that this is a very difficult period. When the coach trusts you, you understand that you have no right to let down either the team or the coach.
– It was a corner kick, and we have practised set pieces, so we know who runs where. There was a good delivery, Volynets made a mistake, and I scored with my knee. It was a very good cross, and I managed to get on the scoresheet.
– This season you have already scored your fourth goal, which is a record in your career. We only know that you managed to score as many in your youth career. What has led to this success this season and what motivates you?
– You know my football story very well since my youth days, so thank you for that. Probably what motivates me is that my wife and I are going through a special stage in our lives – she is pregnant, and this gives me double motivation and responsibility when I go onto the pitch. We did not talk about it for a long time, but after we shared the news, I just could not manage to score a goal. We agreed that when I scored, I would celebrate by putting the ball under my shirt, and that was my dream. Thank God, everything worked out: I scored and brought very important three points for the team, so I’m very happy.
– What happened before the match that led to Marlon Gomes not playing?
– After the warm-up, he felt discomfort in his muscle. Marlon said he trusts Bondarenko and stressed that he did not want to let the team down. It was an unexpected situation.
– Watching the first half, we were surprised that Shakhtar had no shots. Clearly, not everything worked in attack. Why?
– Everyone knows that Ruslan Rotan’s team are very well organised and, above all, disciplined in defence, so it was difficult to create chances. At times, we did not fully use our best qualities in the right way. In general, we understood that this was a match that could be decided by a single goal. We knew we had to be patient and keep pressing the opponents. I think, overall, we fully deserved to win and the score could have been more convincing.
– Patience is one thing, but strength is something different. You’re now playing your fourth match in this congested schedule, which has only just begun, with Kyiv, Rivne, Kraków, Kyiv again, and then London ahead. We heard from Darijo Srna that there is rotation and the team are ready. Personally, do you have enough time for recovery and at least some training?
– To be honest, in these 20 days since we started training, I remember that you go onto the pitch and you only have a pre-match session, and after that a day or two of recovery. If you play every two or three days, it is better physically than playing once a week for me personally. However, we know that in our country travel is not easy, so recovery on the bus does not affect you in a good way. We try to do everything the doctors tell us because we understand that this is a very difficult period. When the coach trusts you, you understand that you have no right to let down either the team or the coach.