Ex-midfielder of the Ukrainian national team about the match Real – Shakhtar
Former midfielder of Shakhtar and the national team of Ukraine Gennadiy Orbu appreciated the match of the third round of the Champions League group stage Real – Shakhtar (2:1), and also told how he left the occupied Mariupol and where he works now.
– Before the start of the meeting, everyone understood where Shakhtar had come and who he was playing against on the field of the legendary Santiago Bernabeu, – says Gennadiy Orbu. – Of course, the starting 30 minutes were completely for Real. They scored twice, and completely owned the initiative. Only after that the Ukrainian team was able to slightly move the game away from their goal, and in one of the attacks a beautiful goal was scored by Oleksandr Zubkov. In general, evaluating the entire match, it is worth recognizing the victory of Real Madrid as a natural, although Shakhtar performed quite well on the field of one of the best clubs in the world.
— Gennady, last week Daniil Sikan scored two hat-tricks in the matches against the youth team of Slovakia and Metalist. But yesterday the mentor of the miners did not release him in the starting lineup. Why?
– This is the decision of the head coach. He sees how the training process goes. Perhaps the fact that Zubkov is more needed in defensive actions had an effect, as we saw, the Donetsk team defended a lot. Well, Zubkov’s goal only confirms that Jovicevich did everything right. Let’s not forget that Sikan came on as a substitute to strengthen the team’s game in attack. Such players are also needed in every team.
— What do you attribute such uncertain actions of Shakhtar’s players to in the first 30 minutes of the match?
— Both excitement and lack of experience among some of the young players of Shakhtar. The technical skill of the Real Madrid players is at the highest level. And how their players work with the ball, and always playing on the attack. Three days ago, Real Madrid failed to beat Osasuna in the Spanish Championship and, of course, was eager to redeem themselves in front of their fans. I will express my opinion – Real Madrid did not give 100% in the match with Shakhtar, but it was enough for them to win.
— Judging by the statistics published by the site UEFA.com Real Madrid players made 36 shots on Trubin’s goal, 13 of them were on target. The miners struck 11 blows and disturbed Lunin only 3 times. Judging by the statistics, everything is natural in this meeting?
– In defense, everyone worked out, everyone tried. I can’t single out any of the outfield players. But it is impossible not to note the good, high-quality game of Trubin. Anatoly was good in most moments. This evening he was a real hero. I would also like to note the episode at the 53rd minute of the match, when Mudrik ran away from Carvajal and went one on one with Lunin. Mikhail had to hit on goal right away, as soon as he ran into the penalty area of Real Madrid. And he began to beat defenders who came to the rescue, and the moment was lost. In such games, there are not many moments. And this is also an experience.
Half of the matches have been played in the Champions League group stage. So far, Shakhtar is in second place. Everything is clear with Real Madrid, they will go further, but who is the favorite for second place?
– Everything is clear with the Madrid team – Carlo Ancelotti’s wards will take first place. After the change of coach, Leipzig added a lot to the game. I saw their duel with Celtic – the German team deservedly won. I believe that all three teams – Shakhtar, Leipzig and Celtic can count on the second place, which will allow reaching the 1/8 finals of the UEFA Champions League.
The advantage for Shakhtar is that they have scored more points so far than their competitors and they will play two games out of three in Warsaw. Although, I remember one of Shakhtar’s seasons in the Champions League, when Lucescu was still the coach, that after two victories in the group, they lost the remaining four games and did not go anywhere. So everything will be decided in the last round.
– Finally, tell us how are you doing now and where do you work?
— As you all know, on February 24, Russia attacked our country. I lived in Mariupol and until March 22 was under occupation. Then, thank God, I was able to get out of the city and went through the Crimea to Georgia. For 4 months I have been working as one of the coaches in the oldest football club in Georgia – Kolkheti 1913 from Poti. Head coach of our team David Kvirkvelia. From 2006 to 2008 he played in Zaporozhye Metallurg. David is a young coach and doesn’t have a PRO license yet. And I have it. Together we try to train local football players. Kolkheti is still leading in the second league, and our ambitious management wants to return the club to the league of the strongest. We will make every effort to do so.
Source: Sportarena
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
