“The winner is not COVID, but Shakhtar”

After the match, Shakhtar football director Darijo Srna told Shakhtar News about the victory over Dynamo (3: 0).

– Dario, congratulations on your victory! How important was it to win against a principled opponent like Dynamo Kiev?

– Thank you for your congratulations. A very important victory for us. We knew where we were: before the game, the Dynamo had +4 points. And, God forbid, a negative result for us … It would mean that we took another big step backwards. But with our victory we took a big step forward. Everything is ahead. Congratulations to the team with 3 points! Now we need to rest, the national teams, play and return without injury, and we will prepare for Oleksandriya.

– How would you rate Shakhtar’s game in general?

– The game was good. From the first minutes it was clear that the Dynamo were playing with precision, and we were. We made a very good goal. Then there is suppression, which has benefited us, and it is the purest. Once again, I congratulate Shakhtar on a good game and a good result. Forward.

– Previously, Shakhtar faced a situation where many players fell ill with the coronavirus. Now Dynamo has the same problem. Did the opponent seem weaker because of this and by how much?

– Unfortunately, today we live in a world where every day someone can get infected. Before Real Madrid we were in the same situation as Dynamo now. But we do not consider the option of postponing the match and we do not suggest doing this to our opponents. Because there are rules that must be followed. The Dynamo had enough good players on the field. I hope everyone recovers quickly and returns to the soccer field!

– The last meeting with the Dynamo was in the framework of the Ukrainian Super Cup, when the Kiev team won. How different was the game and the tactical component in general?

– I already said that the Super Cup is not our trophy. The most important thing for us is to win the championship in Ukraine. Both for us and for the Dynamo, because you go directly into the Champions League. This is the competition where we want to show ourselves at a good level. I repeat, we have taken a great step forward, but it remains open: the Dynamo have one more point than ours. We must not lose more points.

– You played under the leadership of Mircea Lucescu at Shakhtar. What are the emotions when you hit a former mentor?

– Emotions are good. And when you lose, and not only with Lucescu, but with any rival, the emotions are not very good. But I will not comment on Lucescu again. We have our new coach, he has a good path and a good team. We hope that in the future we can show the kind of football we have now.

– Dynamo head coach Mircea Lucescu said he won COVID.

– It was not COVID that won, but Shakhtar.