We played the moments right
Friday, March 13, 2026
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Press conference of Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan after the away UEFA Conference League match against Lech (3-1)
– Good evening! As I said yesterday, it’s tough to play here. We had to show respect to the Polish league champions. We played the moments right, made good solutions against their pressing, showed good mobility and controlled the ball. At the start of the game, we moved little and weren’t productive, but then we reacted better and moved more across the pitch. We controlled the ball well, didn’t rush, progressed into the second and third zones more towards the end of the first half – and scored. In the second half, certain difficulties arose. And, as I said yesterday, even the best team in the world cannot play well for the entire match in this atmosphere. So it was tough. In the next part of the game, we conceded due to Marlon’s injury: the goal came from his zone, and perhaps it was a result of his lack of experience, because if he had stopped the game, we probably wouldn’t have conceded. We will draw conclusions. We fought well and played well. But I must say that the current team are different from Shakhtar 20 years ago. We have more young players and a different strategy for their development under war conditions. And if we want to achieve this mental improvement, we need to forget about this victory and focus on the second leg as if the overall score were 0-0. We cannot give up on our playing culture, our own style of play. I would like to congratulate the team, but we must not forget that we will be playing against a club that is the champion and has a very good coach. If we don’t show respect in the second match, we will have problems.
– Good evening, coach. I have two questions. First. A few years ago, Lech played against Fiorentina and also lost here – 1-4, and then, in the return match, almost made a comeback, nearly knocking Fiorentina out. Do you feel that a more difficult match awaits you in Kraków? And do you think it is possible that Lech could come back? Will this tie remain very tense until the final whistle?
– One hundred per cent. Lech can come back in the second leg. We have to show respect to the champions and play the moments right, because we are a very young team. And I do not need the example of Fiorentina to understand that they can come back. When Barcelona came back 6-1 in the tie against PSG, I was on the pitch, I was there, so I have had that experience since my playing days. Given the club’s structure, the club culture and the fans, we have to show respect to Lech. Such comebacks are possible in football. Nothing has changed for us – the second match will be as if the score were 0-0. And we must show respect to the champions because they are capable of that. In the second match it will be as if they are playing at home again because Poland is their country.
– Second question. As a player, you played at the biggest stadiums in Europe, for example at the Estadio Vicente Calderón. How would you assess the atmosphere here in Poland, as many coaches say it is really very good?
– I respect it, top fans. I saw wonderful fans and a great atmosphere. But I'm a Galatasaray graduate, where the best fans in the world are. Also Atlético Madrid and the old Vicente Calderón – an incredible atmosphere at the stadium. I respect the fans in Poznań, I like this football atmosphere. That’s wonderful. Keep it up! I respect it very much, but I have seen even better fans in the world, as I played for Galatasaray.
– I would like to know your opinion on the score in this match, as there is still another game ahead. Do you think your advantage is a certain privilege? Lech will be extremely motivated to beat you in Kraków. Do you feel any pressure because of that?
– We have a very young team. I say this to my players as well. We shouldn't give up on the way we are playing in the second match, otherwise we will have problems, we have to fight for every moment. I can only say that we have a small advantage now, but in my heart and mind I understand that we don’t really have one. We have almost 15–16 players aged between 18 and 20. They have to learn to raise their level, they have to learn how to play matches like this. So there is no advantage. I can only say that in the first match of this tie we played well.
– And a second question from me. Was there any moment or phase of the game when you felt that your lead could be under threat, that Lech might beat your team at this stadium?
– Let me put it this way: it is impossible to play well for all 90 minutes against Lech in this atmosphere. If I were the coach of Barcelona or Atlético here, it would not change anything. When you play against the champions here, it is impossible to do it well for the entire 90 minutes. I told my players before the match: there will be moments when they will go at you, when they will attack, but you must not react badly to it – you simply have to know how to respond, because if they are champions, then obviously they will do certain things to challenge you. Everything depends on how you react to such moments. And we spoke about this a lot. For our development, for us to grow, it is very important to know how to react properly. If you play at this level at this stadium, it is impossible to perform the whole match perfectly.
– Dmytro Kryskiv left the pitch in the 27th minute, and Marlon Gomes was also substituted in the 74th minute. Did this lead to changes in your tactics and solutions in the second half? In your opinion, will they be ready for next week’s match?
– As I am not a doctor, I do not know whether they will be ready for the second match. I hope they recover quickly because they are important players for us. But we have difficulties because of these 10–15-hour bus trips. And today we will also have to travel for about 7–8 hours. It is tough. We are not hiding behind excuses, but we are a young team and have very little training experience, so this makes the situation a bit more difficult. We have a game on Sunday at 18:00. How will we rest? I think we will do everything possible. They are young. The more experience they gain, the better it is for us. But they are very young. What can we do? I do not know.
– Was your team’s first goal the key moment of this match as Lech had to open up after it?
– I think Riznyk’s save in the second half was more crucial, because if the score had changed at that moment, it would have been a bit more difficult to win. As for the first goal and that period of the game, I think it was not yet the decisive moment as Lech and we are similar teams, we have similar attacking solutions, so perhaps it is a bit too early to call it the key moment.
– Good evening, coach. I have two questions. First. A few years ago, Lech played against Fiorentina and also lost here – 1-4, and then, in the return match, almost made a comeback, nearly knocking Fiorentina out. Do you feel that a more difficult match awaits you in Kraków? And do you think it is possible that Lech could come back? Will this tie remain very tense until the final whistle?
– One hundred per cent. Lech can come back in the second leg. We have to show respect to the champions and play the moments right, because we are a very young team. And I do not need the example of Fiorentina to understand that they can come back. When Barcelona came back 6-1 in the tie against PSG, I was on the pitch, I was there, so I have had that experience since my playing days. Given the club’s structure, the club culture and the fans, we have to show respect to Lech. Such comebacks are possible in football. Nothing has changed for us – the second match will be as if the score were 0-0. And we must show respect to the champions because they are capable of that. In the second match it will be as if they are playing at home again because Poland is their country.
– Second question. As a player, you played at the biggest stadiums in Europe, for example at the Estadio Vicente Calderón. How would you assess the atmosphere here in Poland, as many coaches say it is really very good?
– I respect it, top fans. I saw wonderful fans and a great atmosphere. But I'm a Galatasaray graduate, where the best fans in the world are. Also Atlético Madrid and the old Vicente Calderón – an incredible atmosphere at the stadium. I respect the fans in Poznań, I like this football atmosphere. That’s wonderful. Keep it up! I respect it very much, but I have seen even better fans in the world, as I played for Galatasaray.
– I would like to know your opinion on the score in this match, as there is still another game ahead. Do you think your advantage is a certain privilege? Lech will be extremely motivated to beat you in Kraków. Do you feel any pressure because of that?
– We have a very young team. I say this to my players as well. We shouldn't give up on the way we are playing in the second match, otherwise we will have problems, we have to fight for every moment. I can only say that we have a small advantage now, but in my heart and mind I understand that we don’t really have one. We have almost 15–16 players aged between 18 and 20. They have to learn to raise their level, they have to learn how to play matches like this. So there is no advantage. I can only say that in the first match of this tie we played well.
– And a second question from me. Was there any moment or phase of the game when you felt that your lead could be under threat, that Lech might beat your team at this stadium?
– Let me put it this way: it is impossible to play well for all 90 minutes against Lech in this atmosphere. If I were the coach of Barcelona or Atlético here, it would not change anything. When you play against the champions here, it is impossible to do it well for the entire 90 minutes. I told my players before the match: there will be moments when they will go at you, when they will attack, but you must not react badly to it – you simply have to know how to respond, because if they are champions, then obviously they will do certain things to challenge you. Everything depends on how you react to such moments. And we spoke about this a lot. For our development, for us to grow, it is very important to know how to react properly. If you play at this level at this stadium, it is impossible to perform the whole match perfectly.
– Dmytro Kryskiv left the pitch in the 27th minute, and Marlon Gomes was also substituted in the 74th minute. Did this lead to changes in your tactics and solutions in the second half? In your opinion, will they be ready for next week’s match?
– As I am not a doctor, I do not know whether they will be ready for the second match. I hope they recover quickly because they are important players for us. But we have difficulties because of these 10–15-hour bus trips. And today we will also have to travel for about 7–8 hours. It is tough. We are not hiding behind excuses, but we are a young team and have very little training experience, so this makes the situation a bit more difficult. We have a game on Sunday at 18:00. How will we rest? I think we will do everything possible. They are young. The more experience they gain, the better it is for us. But they are very young. What can we do? I do not know.
– Was your team’s first goal the key moment of this match as Lech had to open up after it?
– I think Riznyk’s save in the second half was more crucial, because if the score had changed at that moment, it would have been a bit more difficult to win. As for the first goal and that period of the game, I think it was not yet the decisive moment as Lech and we are similar teams, we have similar attacking solutions, so perhaps it is a bit too early to call it the key moment.