Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Yehor Nazarina commented on the outcome of the Ukrainian Cup Round of 16 match in which the Pitmen defeated Dynamo Kyiv 3:0. The player's direct speech from the Arena Lviv stadium was reported by Sport RBC.UA journalist Kateryna Ursatii. During the conversation, Nazarina assessed the impact of the opponent's red card on the game's flow, explained why winning the derby is important not only from a tournament perspective but also psychologically, and confessed that he would gladly play against Mayak Sarny in the next round.
Mykhavko's red card and the numerical advantage
According to the Pitmen's midfielder, Taras Mykhavko's red card made his team's task slightly easier. At the same time, Nazarina emphasized that a numerical advantage does not always guarantee a result, recalling Shakhtar's recent match against Inter where the team lost despite having an extra player. „Of course, it became a bit easier for us after Mykhavko was sent off, but we recently lost to Inter while having a man advantage. Therefore, sometimes in such a numerical configuration, it is even harder. We brought the matter to a logical conclusion, and that is the main thing,“ the footballer stated.
Psychological effect after two setbacks
Nazarina noted that a crushing victory in a principled matchup holds significance beyond a single cup game. According to him, the success will positively affect the team's condition after two unsuccessful games against Inter (0:1) and Zorya (0:0). Thus, the rout of Dynamo became for Shakhtar not only a step toward the next round of the Ukrainian Cup but also an important emotional reset moment in a series of winless matches.
The derby is behind us, Obolon is ahead
The midfielder emphasized that the confrontation with Dynamo is always important and principled, so the main thing for him was that the team won and advanced. At the same time, he reminded that Shakhtar faces a match against Obolon already on Friday, meaning the players have already turned the cup page and shifted their focus to preparing for Friday's game. „The derby against Dynamo is always an important and principled match. Therefore, the most important thing is that we won today and advanced. We have an important match against Obolon on Friday, so we have already turned this page and are preparing for Friday's game,“ Nazarina added.
Why Mayak Sarny is a desired opponent
Speaking about tournament prospects, the midfielder stated that Shakhtar aims to win the Ukrainian Cup regardless of their future opponent. At the same time, he singled out Mayak Sarny, explaining his desire to play against this team by the atmosphere the Pitmen experienced during their previous away trip to Vilkhovtsi. „It doesn't matter who we play in the next stages. We have a goal to win the Ukrainian Cup, and we will move towards it. I would like to go on a visit to Mayak Sarny because we were guests in Vilkhovtsi, there was a great atmosphere, and for the people, that match became a celebration. Therefore, I would like to give people a celebration there as well,“ Nazarina summarized.
