We fought as hard as we could and showed character
Friday, September 11, 2026
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Shakhtar U19 midfielder Artem Zubrii commented on the defeat to PSV in the UEFA Youth League
– How do you assess the match and what was the most difficult thing about playing against PSV U19?
– I think the most difficult part was the mental side of things beforehand because you spend the whole day thinking about your first UEFA Youth League game. For some of the lads, as for me, this was the first game of their careers at UEFA Youth League level. However, once we stepped onto the pitch and the starting whistle was blown, all our thoughts were focused only on the game. We gave it everything, fought as hard as we could and showed character.
– Since this was your first UEFA Youth League game, congratulations on your debut! How did you manage to overcome the nerves, and what did the head coach say to you to get you ready?
– The coach emphasised that we should simply play our own football and show our strengths. He told us not to worry about the result, so that it wouldn’t put pressure on us, and just to play our own football.
– Is it important to show on the first UEFA Youth League matchday that Shakhtar are ready to compete at this level?
– It seems that there is always a lot of attention on the first match as it is the start of the competition. There is a lot of focus on all the players, the coaches and the team as a whole. I think our next opponents will watch the game against PSV U19 and definitely won’t think that playing against us will be easy.
– I think the most difficult part was the mental side of things beforehand because you spend the whole day thinking about your first UEFA Youth League game. For some of the lads, as for me, this was the first game of their careers at UEFA Youth League level. However, once we stepped onto the pitch and the starting whistle was blown, all our thoughts were focused only on the game. We gave it everything, fought as hard as we could and showed character.
– Since this was your first UEFA Youth League game, congratulations on your debut! How did you manage to overcome the nerves, and what did the head coach say to you to get you ready?
– The coach emphasised that we should simply play our own football and show our strengths. He told us not to worry about the result, so that it wouldn’t put pressure on us, and just to play our own football.
– Is it important to show on the first UEFA Youth League matchday that Shakhtar are ready to compete at this level?
– It seems that there is always a lot of attention on the first match as it is the start of the competition. There is a lot of focus on all the players, the coaches and the team as a whole. I think our next opponents will watch the game against PSV U19 and definitely won’t think that playing against us will be easy.