The miners lost in the first half, but scored three goals in the second
Head coach Shakhtar Marino Pusic commented on the victory over Zarya (3:1) in the 13th round match Ukrainian Premier League.
“The most difficult matches in this part of the season are the ones you play after an international match, in the Champions League and before the national team break. They are also more mentally challenging. But I can say that we played pretty well in the first half: we had a lot of possession and dominated, although we didn’t create many opportunities. And then one moment was enough for the opponent to score.”
“And what I was missing in this first half, as I told my team, was dedication, the feeling that every second, every moment something can happen, and therefore you need to be attentive until the last seconds. This was a little lacking for me, and it’s not about the gaming aspect. We are playing well, but that finishing touch has to come in the final third. And if the opponent takes the lead when he seems to have crossed the halfway line twice and scored immediately, then… So that’s the part I was missing.”
“And I shared that with my team, who responded fantastically in the second half. In the second half the boys showed all these elements that I wanted to see and I think we could have scored more goals. But overall I’m very proud of them and what they showed, how they reacted in the second half after 0-1.”
“Yes, we had, have and will have a very difficult schedule ahead: we play a lot of matches, travel a lot and don’t have enough time to recover. But this is not an excuse – this is the situation. We can cope with this, we know this, and I think that we are very strong in spirit in this. And I’m glad that my players showed this today, this strength and thirst to win.”
“It is important to feel the desire to win, this is important in every game. Look, when you play in the Champions League, there are a lot of people in the stadium, a lot of emotions, and you not only play, but also give everything emotionally, not just physical strength. Then you are devastated, you have to come back, recuperate, there is not enough time, and then you have to play again, unfortunately in front of a small number of people. It is mentally very difficult to cope with these differences, both personally and as a team.”
“My job is to constantly motivate the players so that they are where they need to be and do enough to win. But it’s a very good question because it’s not easy, especially for footballers playing in the Champions League one week and in an empty stadium the next. It’s always a big challenge. But again, I have to commend my players because they handle it very well. And, of course, we have difficulties, like everyone else, but we solve them well.”
Shakhtar lost in the first half, Oleksandr Yatsyk scored a goal. After the break, Artem Bondarenko equalized the score from the penalty spot, and Kevin put the miners ahead. In injury time, defender Zari Jordan cut the ball into his own goal.
Shakhtar scored 26 points and ranks third in the UPL. Marino Pusic’s team will play against Ingulets on November 23 in their next match.
Source: Sportarena
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