Oleksandr Golovko: Shakhtar U-19 showed what makes them different from others

19-03-15 09:01:34

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After Shakhtar U-19’s win over Benfica, Shakhtar press office talked to the head coach of the Ukraine U-19 national team.

- If we do not take into account a penalty shoot-out, can a draw be considered a fair result of the game?
- Let's just say the first half was totally different from the second one. There was some stiffness, tension in the actions of Shakhtar’s players before the break. I couldn’t confidently say yesterday that the team would win. But after the 53rd minute, when Benfica failed to convert a penalty-kick, the Pitmen significantly stepped up their game. Overall, the result was fair.

- Shakhtar’s performance in the first half was again poorer than in than the second one. Is psychology a reason?
- I think first of all this is the problem. The higher a team climb, the more responsibility is there. The guys feel it very strongly inside. Of course, Valeriy Kryventsov knows his players better, but I have also worked with some of them for a long time. Shakhtar were prepared very well functionally. The boys were actively moving throughout the game, especially after conceding a goal; moreover, they played the whole match without substitutions.

- The key episode in the game was Benfica’s missed penalty, wasn’t it?
- It is difficult to say whether this episode was a key one, but in some sense it was a turning point for Shakhtar, because after it the whole team gathered momentum. The players got hold of the ball, timely arrived on the rebounds, ceased to lose individual battles, started making fewer mistakes. After this penalty, all fell into place. The team showed what makes them different and thus they deservedly reached the semi-finals of the Youth League.

- Do you agree that that penalty-kick will be a lesson for Benfica’s Balde for the rest of his career?
- Let's not go as far as to say that it will be a lesson for the rest of his career. But he will not be able to sleep for some nights, and his mood won’t be too great. Football punishes for such things. This game is interesting because not everything can be calculated in advance.

- Oleg Kudrik saved four penalty-kicks in two games. Is this skill or is it luck?
- I liked that he had confidence. He really proved himself as a captain. Penalty-kicks, which he saved, were logical. Luck has nothing to do with that. Goalkeeper is ready, ‘feels' a player who takes a penalty, displays his reflections. Let's hope that Oleg will continue to work in the same spirit. It would be desirable, of course, to have fewer penalty-kicks against him, but so far this is his strong point. I would also note Vachiberadze, who took over the burden of responsibility, converting the decisive penalty-kicks, despite the fact that in the previous match he failed to do it.
Photo courtesy of google.com

FC Shakhtar
Press Office