FC Kharkiv 0–3 Shakhtar

Mircea Lucescu (Shakhtar's Head Coach):

It is a well-earned victory. In fact we were dominating on the field all through the match. It was a bit difficult in the beginning before we learned how to tackle their defence. Our players gained control over all necessary areas on the field. We were more calm and self-confident in the second half. I asked the boys to try not to get injured. There are many players who are either on the injury list or have been disqualified. The only thing that surprised me was that Kharkiv didn’t open up like we had expected. It would have been more logical for them to play attacking football and take the risk, but they put eleven men behind the ball and continued to rely on counter-attacks. I guess they picked this tactics because they were aware of the technical and sprinting qualities of our players. I think the score is reflecting the difference in class of the sides.

Quite a number of the players are disqualified. Did you face problems building up the lineup?
Yes, we had certain difficulties. Three player had been disqualified after the Cup final. Nevertheless, I don’t want to exaggerate the seriousness of the problem. We used to change the players in the lineup In the course of the season… Today we substituted Ilsinho and Fernandinho who played pretty well. Ilsinho had to leave the field even earlier than we had planned – he suffered an injury. In fact it doesn’t matter who is included into the starting lineup and who remains on the bench: all our players adhere strictly to the team’s tactics and know their duties perfectly well.

Have the team recovered after the Cup final?
Let’s say, it didn’t make us digress from the league matches. We didn’t celebrate the win; we were concentrated on the preparation for the match against Kharkiv. Now we have a whole week to get ready for the final league challenge. We hope to delight our fans in Donetsk. To be able to win the team must be 100 per-cent ready.

What do you think of the pitch quality here in Kharkiv?
It is much better than it used to be, but it is still not up to European standards. But there are 4 years of preparations ahead. There is time to get it into proper condition. My complements to those who managed to prepare the pitch for the match in such short terms. The playing field was in appropriate state but, I repeat, it could be better. I think in summer they shall conduct all necessary works and it will be ideal by the beginning of the next season.

Volodymyr Bezsonov (FC Kharkiv Head Coach):

My comments are quite simple: one team are playing for the league title, the other strive to make an escape from the relegation zone. The was struggle, but Shakhtar are playing at a higher level. That was obvious. One team were defending, trying to achieve their own goal, and the other team were attacking in pursue of their own one. There is one fixture left. We shall go t Kyiv to challenge Arsenal. We shall be struggling for survival. It’s a shame 5 players will have to miss the match. We are being realistic.

Will you make changes to the lineup against Arsenal?
Cheberiachko will play, Fedetsky and Pankovets too. Unfortunately, Berezovchuk and Sokolenko are unavailable. But we have got at least someone.

Did you expect any surprises from the Naftovyk - Zakarpattia match?
I expected a surprise from myself, from my team that were supposed to disturb Shakhtar’s title campaign. We failed. There are many reasons for that. You should rely on yourself, not on someone else.

AG from FC Shakhtar