We are gradually starting to pick up momentum
Saturday, February 7, 2026
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Shakhtar defender Valerii Bondar shared his impressions of the winning friendly against Dinamo Tbilisi (7-2)
– Today’s match was the most successful and confident compared to the previous two. Why was it different, if we look specifically at Shakhtar’s performance in this game?
– I think the first matches at the training camp are always difficult because we play under a heavy load, which affects the result and how we perform in these opening games. Now we are gradually starting to pick up momentum. There isn’t much time left at the camp, and there are still important fixtures to prepare for the Ukrainian Championship. This means we have more energy, more time to recover after training sessions, and we try to put everything we do in training into practice on the pitch.
– But for the third match in a row, Shakhtar have conceded first. What do you think is the reason?
– You need to come out of the dressing room onto the pitch already focused from the first minute. For us, it happens that in the opening moments we are still somewhere back in the dressing room. So I think we need to concentrate more on the very first seconds of the game because conceding early can throw you off balance. A team like ours cannot allow the opponents to have leverage that will affect what happens later on the pitch. You have to switch on from the first second. Even though this is just a training camp, every match is very important for us. We have to do our job from the first to the last second.
– What does today’s convincing and confident win for Shakhtar with so many quality goals show?
– It shows the footballers’ skill. I believe we have many high-quality players, which is why they are here at Shakhtar. Of course, maybe we didn’t score in the first half, or we missed chances in previous matches that we should have taken, but overall today we put into practice what we’ve been working on. Yes, it’s a confident win, and the result is always important, but at the training camp it doesn’t carry the same weight as it will in the championship. Right now, we are focusing more on our own play, both tactically and physically.
– How ready are the team for competitive matches?
– Well, if I can put it that way, our legs still feel heavy. But there’s time to recover, time to play a few matches – I think full 90-minute games - and then it will get easier. I believe we still need to build up another 20–30 percent to be fully prepared for the league.
– I think the first matches at the training camp are always difficult because we play under a heavy load, which affects the result and how we perform in these opening games. Now we are gradually starting to pick up momentum. There isn’t much time left at the camp, and there are still important fixtures to prepare for the Ukrainian Championship. This means we have more energy, more time to recover after training sessions, and we try to put everything we do in training into practice on the pitch.
– But for the third match in a row, Shakhtar have conceded first. What do you think is the reason?
– You need to come out of the dressing room onto the pitch already focused from the first minute. For us, it happens that in the opening moments we are still somewhere back in the dressing room. So I think we need to concentrate more on the very first seconds of the game because conceding early can throw you off balance. A team like ours cannot allow the opponents to have leverage that will affect what happens later on the pitch. You have to switch on from the first second. Even though this is just a training camp, every match is very important for us. We have to do our job from the first to the last second.
– What does today’s convincing and confident win for Shakhtar with so many quality goals show?
– It shows the footballers’ skill. I believe we have many high-quality players, which is why they are here at Shakhtar. Of course, maybe we didn’t score in the first half, or we missed chances in previous matches that we should have taken, but overall today we put into practice what we’ve been working on. Yes, it’s a confident win, and the result is always important, but at the training camp it doesn’t carry the same weight as it will in the championship. Right now, we are focusing more on our own play, both tactically and physically.
– How ready are the team for competitive matches?
– Well, if I can put it that way, our legs still feel heavy. But there’s time to recover, time to play a few matches – I think full 90-minute games - and then it will get easier. I believe we still need to build up another 20–30 percent to be fully prepared for the league.