Mircea Lucescu: We lost two points in a very silly way

Head coach of Shakhtar summed up the match vs Vorskla.

- We lost two points in a very silly way - that's the whole comment. That's our fault, our attitude towards today’s game ... The Shakhtar level team must not concede a goal in the 45th and 92nd minutes! In both cases, there were some major defensive mistakes. Perhaps, given the opportunities we had, the score could have been 6-1. But, unfortunately, that's football ... It’s interesting because everything can change from chance to chance. I want to congratulate Vorskla, who believed in it and fought to the very last second. As a result, they managed to do what they wanted to. I would also like to note the fact that they went through a difficult moment in the match against Zilina. It was hard to recover from such a defeat, while they found the strength to come out being fully prepared for today's game. The point they have claimed today, is well-deserved owing to the way they fought for it. In contrast, we entrusted the roles on the pitch to some footballers who have played less. Still, the season is very long, we need to screen them ... Some of them, probably, did not realize that it's very expensive to perform as meanly as they’ve done today.

- Mr. Lucescu, wasn’t it affected by the fact that Shakhtar had very well played against Fenerbahce? Maybe they underestimated Vorskla or overestimated their own strength?
- I want to note Vorskla. A good, strong team. They demonstrated it in the game against Zilina. Underestimating is irrelevant in this case. We just gave some players a chance to rest. We are facing very challenging games, that’s why we decided to do so. However, the players who were fielded today, have not risen to the level of those who played against Fenerbahce. That's the only explanation. They superficially treated the chances created. They had to convert them, then all this wouldn’t have happened. There was an episode when they played very roughly against Bernard. It was necessary to award the opponent a second card and send him off. Perhaps, that would’ve put an end to all this.

- Still, Shakhtar gave one away before the break. Perhaps, you failed to put it through to the players that one more goal might be insufficient to win. Why did it happen so?
- We should have played in a completely different way at 1-2 in our favour. Apparently, it is necessary to mention Kucer’s error, who passed an aerial ball which was intercepted. In about the same manner Kovpak tried to find the back of the net against Zilina in the dying seconds. Had he crossed it, they would have found themselves one on one with the keeper, held back the ball and Vorskla would have advanced further. Unfortunately, sometimes the players take decisions which are irrelevant to their experience, just as it happened today.

Vasyl Sachko: Guys made errors, but still survived it

Head coach of Vorskla shared his thoughts about the game vs Shakhtar and answered questions from the media.

- Today we played against a very good team – fast and technical. There were allegations that current Shakhtar have been the strongest ever. I can agree: they are really strong. We’ve played three games in the European competitions recently: that’s vs Dnipro and Shakhtar. Today Sasha Tkachenko debuted, the keeper. You know, we have a problem: Nepohodov got injured, Bohush is out. Given the performance produced by Vorskla, I cannot boast that it was some outstanding football, but we thanked the lads for their mettle, for finding the inner strength. It was very difficult to psych up the guys, but they got their act together. It still takes the ability to score two goals against Shakhtar. Of course, we are pleased with the result.

- What’s the injured goalkeepers’ condition?
- They undergo a recovery phase. Hopefully, they start training shortly. Bohush is recovering, Nepohodov is still in hospital, and the doctor reports about his condition daily. Hopefully, he will quickly become operational. God grant. Rumours about the surgery? I do not want to comment on that.

- What result were Vorskla expecting? Lucescu looked upset.
- Just understand that we had a very difficult game against Zilina! The nerves, emotions and agitation the team had two days ago are almost impossible to recover. I couldn’t imagine a different game against Shakhtar, I was concerned about the lads’ lasting for two halves. On our part, there was a lot of mistakes. In this case, there is nothing to say about Shakhtar – they are a super team. The guys made errors, but still survived it. They capitalised on the chance, they scored a goal. We are pleased with that, we are happy. And we never prepared the guys for losing it, that's for sure.

- Your team have numerous issues: losing the ball, many mistakes in midfield. Why does it happen and how can you tackle it?
- I agree that we made many errors. That’s due to fatigue when you cannot control your body, when you lack the power. We do not claim to have Shakhtar’s level: the Pitmen work perfectly well with the ball, with fast players bursting from deep into open spaces, they are top players! Comparing them with the players of Vorskla makes no sense. We have different objectives, different style of play, we are strong through our teamwork, discipline and dedication. While every Brazilian is born with the ball. However, I do not speak ill of my guys, we know their capabilities, but there are things which cannot be trained. Thank you for criticism after the defeat at Zilina! Yes, we have nothing to boast of, but we have not lost to the Slovaks in the return leg. At the same time we gave it so much strength. You cannot teach them to score goals, that’s hard. I used to be a striker and didn’t convert my chances either at times. As for the team and individual training, we are working on that. Unfortunately, there is pressure and fatigue, and all that affects the performance.

- You have a unique opportunity to say hello to the skeptics who said that Shakhtar would claim a 5-0 win.
- I am saying hello to them!

- Please evaluate Tkachenko’s performance, is there any chance for him to become Vorskla’s first-choice keeper?
- We are happy with the goalie’s debut, happy for the guy. I will say more: I am proud of him! Any player has a chance to succeed in Vorskla’s starting XI. Sasha was waiting for his chance, and he got it in the match against Shakhtar. He underwent some conditioning and will remember this match for a lifetime.

- After the failure vs Zilina, you’ve achieved a positive result today, and Kovpak has scored an important goal. Will this game be a turning point for the team and for Kovpak personally?
- We have not lost a single league game! We ‘ve been extending our unbeaten run, and we had a tough fixture calendar: against Dnipro, against Shakhtar. And Volyn are a pretty decent team for today. I am not going to talk about some bad luck. We ourselves have created problems. More importantly, they talk about the team’s fitness, saying that the team is not ready. I can’t agree to that. In every game we create chances, although I do not take into account today's match against Shakhtar as we created just few. In the away game against Zilina, we had to convert that penalty and convert our chances, even if they weren’t numerous. However, there have been some pluses. Of course, we want more. They say that it’s better to lose one match and then win two games than just draw thrice. There is some logic in it. The team get tempered, and they learnt a lesson, with us expecting more from them. We have to be stronger, more confident and to attack them better. But all depends on the opponents – Shakhtar and Dnipro are very decent opponents.

- Can you comment on the reports that Metalist want to see Andriy Mischenko in their ranks?
- They want to see many of our players – not only Metalist, but other clubs as well. Currently, Mischenko has a contract with Vorskla. We might also want to get players from Metalist, but will they release them? We rely on Oleh, but we have the club management, although I know nothing about any official offers. If there are some – we'll talk. The head coach is also involved in deciding on such matters. We’ll see.