It was a hard-fought game
Saturday, July 25, 2026
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Comment from Shakhtar women’s team head coach Roman Zaiev after the match against Kolos
– In my opinion, it was a hard-fought game for both Kolos and us, as the score remained 0-1 for virtually the entire match. We were naturally determined to bounce back after the defeat to Polissia and we prepared the girls for the fact that, besides desire and commitment, patience was also needed to compete against the opposition. Kolos are a good team preparing for European competition, while we need to work even harder.
– Were you prepared for Kolos posing most of their threat in the air from crosses?
– Of course. They have a number of tall players, and we warned the girls about that and identified the areas we needed to cover. I wouldn't say that all of their aerial threats led to anything. Experienced teams always look for ways to score, and the so-called blind spots are now very widely used, including by Kolos We were aware of that and prepared for it, but the goals we conceded came from rebounds in the penalty area, where we lacked a player to prevent them.
– Several footballers operated in slightly unfamiliar positions against Kolos. Did they carry out the tasks you had set them before the match?
– We have to work with the squad available to us at the moment. In fact, those positions are not unfamiliar to the girls but rather ones they have not played in for some time. Veherych began her professional career as a forward, while Mokhnach is a versatile player capable of playing in any position. We used them because Kolos have a strong midfield, so we needed a player who could disrupt all of the opposition's attacking moves.
– It's been a difficult start to the season for Shakhtar women’s team, and next up is an away trip to Volodymyr to face Ladomyr. How do you prepare for that match to improve the team's morale?
– It's only the start of the season, which will be played over four stages. Right now, all the teams are assessing each other and making adjustments based on the opening results. We've played only two matches, with another 26 still to come, and we'll do our best to turn things around. You can draw a parallel: last season, Kolos failed to win any of their first five matches, but that didn't prevent them from finishing the championship in the European places.
– Were you prepared for Kolos posing most of their threat in the air from crosses?
– Of course. They have a number of tall players, and we warned the girls about that and identified the areas we needed to cover. I wouldn't say that all of their aerial threats led to anything. Experienced teams always look for ways to score, and the so-called blind spots are now very widely used, including by Kolos We were aware of that and prepared for it, but the goals we conceded came from rebounds in the penalty area, where we lacked a player to prevent them.
– Several footballers operated in slightly unfamiliar positions against Kolos. Did they carry out the tasks you had set them before the match?
– We have to work with the squad available to us at the moment. In fact, those positions are not unfamiliar to the girls but rather ones they have not played in for some time. Veherych began her professional career as a forward, while Mokhnach is a versatile player capable of playing in any position. We used them because Kolos have a strong midfield, so we needed a player who could disrupt all of the opposition's attacking moves.
– It's been a difficult start to the season for Shakhtar women’s team, and next up is an away trip to Volodymyr to face Ladomyr. How do you prepare for that match to improve the team's morale?
– It's only the start of the season, which will be played over four stages. Right now, all the teams are assessing each other and making adjustments based on the opening results. We've played only two matches, with another 26 still to come, and we'll do our best to turn things around. You can draw a parallel: last season, Kolos failed to win any of their first five matches, but that didn't prevent them from finishing the championship in the European places.