---
title: "Ihor Kostyuk on the match against PAOK: 'There are chances', but the opponent's fans shocked with a provocation"
description: "Dynamo head coach Ihor Kostyuk commented on the match against PAOK: he admitted mistakes in the first half but believes in advancing to the next round. Special outrage was caused by the provocation of the opponent's fans with the Russian flag. 🇺🇦⚽"
date: 2026-07-24T08:08:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ihor-kostyuk-on-the-match-against-paok-there-are-chances-but-the-opponents-fans-shocked-with-a-provocation
tags: [igor-kostyuk, dynamo-kyiv, paok, football, sport-rbc-ua]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ihor Kostyuk on the match against PAOK: 'There are chances', but the opponent's fans shocked with a provocation

![Igor Kostyuk at a press conference before the match with PAOK, discussing chances and provocations by fans](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/24/igory-kostyuk-o-matche-s-paokom-shansy-est-no-fanaty-sopernika-shokiruyut-provokatsiey/igory-kostyuk-o-matche-s-paokom-shansy-est-no-fanaty-sopernika-shokiruyut-provokatsiey-1.webp)

The head coach of Kyiv's Dynamo, Ihor Kostyuk, summarized the first match against Greek PAOK. The specialist analyzed tactical mistakes, evaluated the performance of individual players, and strongly condemned the behavior of the opponent's fans, who displayed the Russian flag.

### Tactical analysis: mistakes and optimism

According to the coach of the 'white-and-blues', the defeat in the first half of the match was a consequence of their own mistakes and errors in passing. The experienced opponent skillfully took advantage of these inaccuracies, which determined the course of the game in the first half.

However, after the break, the situation on the field changed. The Kyiv team managed to restructure the scheme and seize the initiative. Despite the fact that the realization of chances let the team down, the coach sees reason for optimism in the changes made in the second half.

"The realization let us down, but what we saw in the second half gives grounds for optimism. We can play against this team, we have chances," emphasized Ihor Kostyuk.

### Eduardo Guerrero's performance and the plan for the return match

The coach paid special attention to the performance of the Panamanian Eduardo Guerrero on the left flank of the attack. Kostyuk noted that the player worked reliably in defense and organized the episode that led to Volodymyr Brazhko's goal. At the same time, the specialist admitted that he expected more sharpness from the player in attack.

The main aspect requiring improvement, according to Kostyuk, is minimizing mistakes. Correcting this moment is capable of significantly improving the team's performance in defense.

"It is necessary to avoid such mistakes, rebuild faster and react to losing the ball. In attack, in my opinion, we have potential, so we will make certain changes. In the first half, we did not act aggressively enough in attack, but credit must be given to the opponent — he restructured well and controlled the ball," added the coach.

### Provocation by PAOK fans

In addition to football issues, Kostyuk touched upon the incident that occurred after the match. Dynamo players and Ukrainian fans headed to the away section of the Greek team due to outrage at the behavior of the local fans.

The Greeks demonstratively displayed the flag of the aggressor country. The coach of the Kyiv team called this a deliberate provocation and expressed bewilderment at the behavior of people who, in his words, do not understand that a war is going on in Ukraine, bringing immense suffering, destroying homes, and taking lives.

"This was a deliberate provocation by the fans of the Greek team. They deliberately brought the Russian flag. These are people who do not understand that a war is going on in our country, which brings immense suffering: homes are destroyed, our people, women, and children are dying. A very unpleasant situation," summarized Kostyuk.

To conclude, the coach thanked the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the fact that Ukrainian clubs have the opportunity to represent the country on the international stage.