The victory over Antwerp guaranteed the Pitmen continued performances in European competitions
Shakhtar’s mentor Marino Pusic commented on the victory over Antwerp (1:0) in the 5th round of the group stage of the Champions League. Coach Gornyakov emphasized that he is proud of his players.
“I must say that we played very well in our championship, but we didn’t score goals after good chances, which is why we got a draw in the last meeting. And even in the match before that we showed very good football. I have to point this out because if you think a draw isn’t good enough, it’s not, we did great.”
“There’s a big difference in emotions, an empty stadium, it’s not easy to play in such conditions not only for our players, but also for other clubs. And then you play in the Champions League in this stadium with a lot of people – and almost all the tickets were sold out, we had a lot of support from our fans – and it gives us a slightly different energy. This is not the reason for the draw then or the victory now, but there is a difference in emotions and motivation.”
“I want to reiterate that the last two games in the championship were probably the best games so far and as you can see, football is about emotions and people think that if you draw one day it is bad. I don’t agree with that, those matches were incredible.”
“It’s really hard to believe what a morally stable goalkeeper Riznyk is. He is a very good person, he is level-headed and focused on his development and the team, which is difficult to imagine under these circumstances. Because I can say about him… I’m very proud of him in all aspects: the way he works, his concentration, the way he handles loss. It’s truly incredible.”
“First of all, we are very proud of our first important achievement – that we will remain in European competition after the winter break. And we may still have the opportunity to remain at the highest level in Europe – in the Champions League. We performed great, I’m very pleased.”
“It was a tough game, this is a Champions League match where you have to play against very strong opponents, well organized and high quality. But, I repeat, my players do more than I ask of them – not only for me as a coach, but also for the club. And this is very important: discipline, organization. Like I said, they want to play according to my instructions, and I want to compete with everyone, and they show it. I’m a very happy coach with these guys.”
The miner is in third place in Group H with nine points. The miners guaranteed themselves participation in the European Cups in the spring. The final place of Marino Pusic’s team, on which the further tournament (play-offs of the Champions League or Europa League) will depend, will be determined after the last round.
The Pitmen will play the final match of the 2023/24 Champions League group stage against Porto on December 13.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
