Vladimir EZERSKY: “Budkovsky missed a great moment”

Former defender of the Ukrainian national team Vladimir Yezersky commented on Desna’s defeat in the Europa League third qualifying round match against Wolfsburg (0: 2)

– Can we say that Desna was initially unlucky with the draw, hitting such a formidable opponent as Wolfsburg?

-I believe that any team that fights for the European Cup is placed in its championship, and then enters the international arena, understands and must understand that the draw, as they say, is blind and can lead to any rival. The game in Germany between Wolfsburg and Desna showed that even despite the lack of international experience and the status of favorites of the rivals, our team could count on going further.

– What did Desna lack to overcome the German barrier?

– Of course, the Ukrainians have a strong opponent, experienced in European Cup battles, fighting for places in the top six in the German championship.

In the first half of the match in Germany, it was noted that Desna lacked international experience, there was nervousness in her actions and some uncertainty. But Desna also has a high-quality, balanced team, and there are players in the squad who had experience in European competitions. Therefore, these players had to take responsibility and lead the team. As a result, only at the beginning of the second half, “Desna” more or less got used to the game and began to show the football that we saw in the last championship, thanks to which the Chernihiv team won a ticket to the Europa League.

– After the elimination of Tamm, were the Chernigovites doomed to defeat?

– Unfortunately, the Ukrainians did not control their emotions. An unfortunate elimination midway through the second half ended hopes of leveling the score. Still, it was not easy trying to recover a match with such an experienced ten-man team. But even in this situation, in the closing minutes of the match, Philip Budkovsky had a great moment to score a goal with his head, but did not convert it. It was clear that in a match like this there would not be many opportunities and every opportunity should be treated with great care and responsibility. It’s a shame, but Desna missed his chance and in the end we have a 0: 2 loss.

I think that if Desna had played from the first minutes as he did at the beginning of the second half and had not been sent off, he could have had a chance to beat Wolfsburg.

– What lesson should Desna learn after the game with Wolfsburg?

– First of all, I would like to say that Desna deserved to play in European competition with her performance in the last championship. For the residents of Chernihiv, that match became a true historical event, the first in the international arena. I would like to wish “Desna” that this story continues and that the team plays in European competitions more than once.

Next time, Chernihiv should be more calm in matches in the international arena, so that there is no emotion, fear of an opponent and annoying mistakes in the form of unnecessary red cards.