We went toe-to-toe with Inter
Thursday, October 22, 2026
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Shakhtar midfielder Marlon Gomes shared his impressions of the Champions League match against Inter
– How disappointed are you with the result, considering that you had a numerical advantage in the second half and that Shakhtar played with great confidence in general?
– Personally, I feel very sad. We knew this would be a very tough away match, because Inter are a big team. But we held up well and went toe-to-toe. We had a numerical advantage from the 68th minute, but unfortunately, we still could not secure the win. It is a real shame. Now we need to focus on the coming week – we have a Ukrainian league match ahead. We will analyse our mistakes and fix everything before the next Champions League game.
– Why do you think you were not able to make the most of that advantage?
– As I have already said, playing away is very difficult. When they were reduced to ten men, we had more space in the middle of the pitch, but they still defended well. That is football. They managed to beat us despite having fewer players. It is very disappointing; this should not have happened. We need to work now to minimise our mistakes. As I mentioned earlier, we are looking ahead. That is football: we lost today, but we will have another chance to win soon.
– Pedrinho left the pitch in the first half. How did you adjust your play when Nazaryna replaced him?
– Nazaryna is a great player, an outstanding athlete. Of course, his characteristics differ from Pedrinho’s. I am really sad about Pedrinho’s injury; he is like a brother to me. No one wants to get injured, especially in the Champions League, because it means missing important matches. But I wish him a speedy recovery. Going back to the match: Nazaryna is an excellent number six. That is why the coach moved me to the number eight position, so that Ocheretko and I would share some of those responsibilities. We managed to even out the play. I believe we were evenly matched to a certain point, but unfortunately, we conceded a goal during the opponent’s transition from defence to attack and did not manage to change the score.
– In the middle of the second half, there were quite a few provocations from Inter. How did you react to that?
– I suppose this is part of football. Teams react to provocations in their own way. Of course, they tried to throw us off balance, but we held our own. It was a very physically demanding game. There were probably some provocations, too. It is a good thing that we finished with eleven men on the pitch, while they had a player sent off. However, as I have already said, we did not manage to break through their defence, even with a numerical advantage. Now we need to put in the work throughout the week and see what adjustments the coach wants to make. We are looking ahead, as the next match is just around the corner.
– Personally, I feel very sad. We knew this would be a very tough away match, because Inter are a big team. But we held up well and went toe-to-toe. We had a numerical advantage from the 68th minute, but unfortunately, we still could not secure the win. It is a real shame. Now we need to focus on the coming week – we have a Ukrainian league match ahead. We will analyse our mistakes and fix everything before the next Champions League game.
– Why do you think you were not able to make the most of that advantage?
– As I have already said, playing away is very difficult. When they were reduced to ten men, we had more space in the middle of the pitch, but they still defended well. That is football. They managed to beat us despite having fewer players. It is very disappointing; this should not have happened. We need to work now to minimise our mistakes. As I mentioned earlier, we are looking ahead. That is football: we lost today, but we will have another chance to win soon.
– Pedrinho left the pitch in the first half. How did you adjust your play when Nazaryna replaced him?
– Nazaryna is a great player, an outstanding athlete. Of course, his characteristics differ from Pedrinho’s. I am really sad about Pedrinho’s injury; he is like a brother to me. No one wants to get injured, especially in the Champions League, because it means missing important matches. But I wish him a speedy recovery. Going back to the match: Nazaryna is an excellent number six. That is why the coach moved me to the number eight position, so that Ocheretko and I would share some of those responsibilities. We managed to even out the play. I believe we were evenly matched to a certain point, but unfortunately, we conceded a goal during the opponent’s transition from defence to attack and did not manage to change the score.
– In the middle of the second half, there were quite a few provocations from Inter. How did you react to that?
– I suppose this is part of football. Teams react to provocations in their own way. Of course, they tried to throw us off balance, but we held our own. It was a very physically demanding game. There were probably some provocations, too. It is a good thing that we finished with eleven men on the pitch, while they had a player sent off. However, as I have already said, we did not manage to break through their defence, even with a numerical advantage. Now we need to put in the work throughout the week and see what adjustments the coach wants to make. We are looking ahead, as the next match is just around the corner.