Shelaev: In the match with Fenerbahce, Dynamo players pulled out all 120% of their abilities

By beating Fenerbahce in the second leg of the second qualifying round of the Champions League, Dynamo secured participation in European competition in the fall. The goals of the white and blue are unchanged – reaching the group stage of the Champions League. In the third round of the tournament qualifiers, the Kiev team will play with the Austrian Sturm. We talked about the future rival of Dynamo, as well as the victorious match with Fenerbahce, with the ex-midfielder of the Ukrainian national team Oleg Shelaev.

— What were your thoughts after the first match played in the Polish city of Lodz?

– The first match showed that the strengths of the teams are approximately equal and any of the rivals can go further. The only thing is that the Turkish team has gathered creative players in the attack, who can, due to their skill, decide this or that episode in their favor.

– The start of the second leg in Istanbul was very difficult for Dynamo…

– Yes. The hosts immediately rushed to the attack. This is always the case in Turkey, when teams try to crush the enemy in front of their fans. Of course, Fenerbahce’s game was more coherent, but three factors played for Dynamo: Buschan’s good game, Yuksek’s removal and the selfless game of our players. They got out of themselves all 120% of their capabilities. Our players were aggressive and tried not to lose in any combat. In my opinion, the Kiev team’s mood for the game was higher than that of Fenerbahce.

– If we talk only about head coaches, then who turned out to be stronger – Lucescu or Jesus?

I don’t think there was a winner here. The coaches played their trump cards. Everything was decided on the football field by the players.

– In the debut of the match, the Turkish players scored a goal, but the Italian referee considered that Valencia hit Zabarny’s leg. How would you rate this episode?

Everything is at the discretion of the judge. The replay shows that the referee was in a comfortable position and saw everything. We can find a lot of reasons to discuss something, but there is a main arbiter.

– For three halves in a row, Dynamo players not only could not score a goal, but even hit the opponent’s goal. Why did it happen?

There are explanations for this. Artem Besedin has absolutely no creativity. In general, our team was focused on defense in the second leg. Who ahead could correct the situation? Buyalsky, Tsygankov and Shaparenko. Only they can beat the opponent at speed, drag the ball to someone else’s penalty area. We can say that Dynamo did not dominate the game against Fenerbahce.

– Why do the leaders – Tsygankov and Shaparenko still bear little resemblance to themselves?

Let’s remember that we are at war. It affects every player differently. Everyone sees and knows everything. We do not know what the situation of their relatives is. Fee situation. It’s one thing you train at the base, in a familiar atmosphere, and another thing, you travel around Europe. But in the second leg, Viktor and Nikolai already acted better than in the first game. Our players brought joy to Ukrainian fans with their victory. And the club will now be even more respected. Having advanced to the third round of the Champions League qualification, Dynamo have already earned themselves a European Cup autumn. Now you can fight for more. Someone will say that they played inconspicuously, but in football the most important thing is the result.

– Do you agree with the opinion that the removal of midfielder Fenerbahce Yuksek is the key moment of the whole confrontation?

– Of course. But, please note that the referee of this meeting already at the 14th minute began to show the cards. Any delay, rough play – just a yellow card. He did not persuade anyone, did not say, for the second or third time I will show the mustard plaster. Therefore, throughout the meeting, all the players who had warnings were in limbo. This removal did not immediately help Dynamo. But in overtime the game was, as they say, in one goal.

– The first goal of Dynamo in the current Champions League was a feast for the eyes. I agree?

– Undoubtedly. Here three Dynamo players played a great combination. Tsygankov made a handy pass to Kendzhera, while Tomas outplayed the opponent and, with love for his partner, fired a shot at Buyalsky. Vitaly ran into the zone and sent the ball into the goal in touch.

– But soon Fenerbehce got the right to a penalty. I would like to ask you why three Dynamo defenders did not deal with one attacker Valencia?

“They must have relied on each other. There was a throw into the penalty area, our players let the opponent take the ball, and then Popov knocked him down. Our players did not calculate the flight of the ball. But then Bushchan entered the game. He then saved our team after going one on one with the same Valencia. Zhora great came out of the gate and eliminated the danger. And then he saved when they hit him with his head from close range.

— Hhow does a football player feel when his team concedes a goal in the 89th minute, playing on the power play?

– Each player sees the scoreboard, there are a couple of minutes left and then … Devastation. You understand that there are still 30 minutes of overtime ahead of you, a motivated opponent and an insane audience.

— AT Overtime Dynamo played just exemplary…

– Yes. Dynamo completely took possession of the ball and constantly threatened the opponent’s goal. Our team completely dominated the football field. Ilya Zabarny had two great chances to score. It was clear how the Ukrainian team wants to win in overtime. I would like to note that the substitutions made by Mircea Lucescu helped the team win. Based on this, we can conclude that Karavaev, Vivcharenko and the company are ready to play in the first team.

– The decisive goal was made by two extreme defenders – Vivcharenko and Karavaev. To be honest, I haven’t seen this in a long time…

“That’s the beauty of football. No matter how they play according to the patterns, there may be exceptions. We know what coaches always say – if one full back has joined the attack, then the second should remain on the defensive. If so, there would be no goal. This attack was started by Garmash. Denis made a pass to Vivcharenko, and already a young talent shot the goalkeeper’s line into the distance. The Fenerbahce defender was afraid to cut the ball into his own net. And Karavaev performed everything masterfully.

– Karavaev used to play in Fenerbahce and scored against his former team. It happens all the time in football.

– It’s not an axiom, but it happens. Someone somewhere played before and crossed paths with someone.

— Tothen MVP match Fenerbahce – Dynamo (Kyiv)?

– I will name three guys who made the greatest contribution to this victory: Georgy Bushchan, Viktor Tsygankov and Nikolai Shaparenko.

– In the third round of the Champions League qualification, Dynamo will play with the Austrian Sturm. What can you say about this club?

“I need two or three days to familiarize myself with the current Onslaught in detail. I know that this is the vice-champion of Austria. In general, the Austrian teams are similar in the way they play to the German clubs. Usually they are always well prepared physically.

– A little more than 10 years ago, the Kharkov Metalist, where you played, already met with Sturm.

– Yes. I remember their tall defenders and a powerful center forward. In general, Sturm is a strong contender.

– Will these two games against Fenerbahce help Dynamo better roll into the season?

– If before the matches with the Turkish team there were excuses about the lack of readiness of the team, now you need to get two rivals to the Champions League group. The victory added confidence to the players and the coaching staff. Our guys got the necessary dose of adrenaline and this is the most important thing.