The fate of Zhytomyr's Polissya's first European competition clash was decided in Košice. The match against Danish side Copenhagen turned into a real shootout, ending in a high-scoring draw with a score of 3:3. The head coach of the Ukrainian team, Ruslan Rotan, gave a post-match interview where he commented on his players' performance and the atmosphere surrounding the club.
Character and potential
Despite the Zhytomyr team conceding a quick goal at the start of the second half and trailing 2:3, the team managed to snatch a draw in the final minutes. The head coach expressed satisfaction with this fact, seeing it as a manifestation of character.
"I am happy with the guys in two things. We conceded a quick, unnecessary goal, but, losing 2:3, we scored in the final minutes. This fact adds positivity because character emerges and there is huge potential," Rotan stated.
Coach's emotions and star support
A special moment of the press conference was the discussion of the yellow card received by the coach. Rotan humorously explained that, trying to emotionally advise the players, he simply ran out of the technical area, joking that he "wanted to make a tackle".
After the match, club president Hennadiy Butkevych and famous boxer Oleksandr Usyk entered the locker room. Their visit was aimed at supporting the footballers ahead of the return leg. According to the coach, the guests saw great potential in the team that needs to be unlocked through victories. The main message from them was unambiguous: "we need to become men," as European matches do not forgive mistakes.
Friendly atmosphere and plans for the return match
Separately, Ruslan Rotan thanked Copenhagen fans for the banner hung in the stands, noting the friendly support from the Danish people. The fate of the clash will be decided in the return match, which will take place on July 30 in Copenhagen.
