The miners are now preparing for the Ukrainian Cup final
Head coach Shakhtar Marino Pusic shared his emotions after winning the championship title early following the match of the 28th round of the UPL with Dynamo (1:0).
“Yes, this is my first trophy won in Ukraine. It is very important and means a lot to me. Especially if you remember where we started, what situation the team was in, our program during the European Cup campaign, which we went through well, and also how we competed in the Ukrainian Championship.”
“As I already said, there is tough competition in this championship, this point is underestimated. There are a lot of teams that can play good football, so I’m very proud.”
I sincerely thank our fans, considering the conditions in which the club has to work, how the country has to survive, these people are simply incredible. We want to dedicate this championship to our fans and all Ukrainians. Thanks for the invitation”.
“I would like to thank everyone who works at the club and does an incredible job. Also thanks to all my players. There is a wonderful team that showed character in difficult situations, showed fantastic football and worked hard. I already told the players, now I’ll tell you: for me they are heroes.”
“The experience stays with you and it is very important, this is a very special fight. Derby itself is a very specific game: a lot of tension, a lot of emotions. But besides such circumstances, we had even more energy and emotions, because we had something to lose, unlike our opponents.”
“We played to decide the game quickly and we did just that with the goal. I was constantly thinking whether to attack or defend more… I know that in such moments you need to choose one option, it is impossible to act in two directions. Then I felt the energy on the field, understood what my team needed, and decided to play for the result, because this is important. It is possible to defeat an opponent with his weapon – a good defensive structure and transitions.”
“We did well in the second half. Then the feeling of what needed to be done in the game to win helped a lot. There was no time for beauty anymore, I needed results. You all know that I love the beautiful game, I try to score one more goal – and it will always be so. However, I have some experience in the championship race, and in such matches everything is based on structure, organization, choosing good moments.”
“Obviously it’s a fantastic achievement to be champions, but we’re not done yet. Soon we will have an important game for the Ukrainian Cup. This is an important moment for me and for the entire club. We are really looking forward to this match and also want to win this trophy.”
“I always tell my players that they have a day to celebrate, no matter what match is ahead. After that, you need to focus on the next game. We’ll celebrate for 24 hours and then everyone should be ready for the next meeting. We also want to win this title.
Shakhtar beat Dynamo in a nominally home match thanks to Georgiy Sudakov’s penalty goal. The miners broke away from their main rival by 7 points and won the championship title ahead of schedule – the 15th in history. Dynamo has one more championship left.
In the UPL, Pusic’s team has two matches left to play – both away, with Dnepr-1 and Polesie. Before this, on May 15, Shakhtar will face the Ukrainian Cup final against Vorskla. The match will be hosted by the Avangard stadium in Rivne.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
