Oleksandr Shovkovskyi: We cannot play in such full stadiums because of the war in Ukraine

Oleksandr Shovkovskyi: We cannot play in such full stadiums because of the war in Ukraine

‘We thank Türkiye, Istanbul and Galatasaray’

Olgucan KALKAN – Sacit GÖNCÜ / İSTANBUL, (DHA)- DİNAMO Kiev Coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi said about Galatasaray fans, “We cannot play in such full stadiums due to the war in Ukraine. We missed this too. Galatasaray fans are very strong, they are fighting. They support the team very well. “This support even motivated us,” he said.

In the 7th week of the UEFA Europa League, Galatasaray drew 3-3 with Dynamo Kiev at home. After the match, the coach of the Ukrainian team, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, spoke at the press conference. Shovkovskyi, who started his words by thanking Türkiye, Istanbul and Galatasaray, said, “We thank Turkey, Istanbul and Galatasaray very much. You hosted us very nicely. We were very pleased. We receive a lot of support due to the situation in Ukraine. Galatasaray is a strong team. They are always playing an attacking game. We started the game by knowing our opponent. We gifted Galatasaray a goal at the beginning of the game. Then it was a penalty. “We will work on this,” he said.

‘GALATASARAY FANS ARE VERY STRONG’

Stating that Galatasaray fans are very strong, Shovkovskyi said that they could not play matches in full stadiums due to the war in their country. Pointing out that his own players are also motivated in front of full stands, Shovkovskyi said, “We cannot play in such full stadiums due to the war in Ukraine. We missed this too. Galatasaray fans are very strong. They are struggling. They support the team very well. This support even motivated us. The kids got a little worried when they saw the fans, but then they got it under control. We can make mistakes in every match. I think when children control their emotions, they play a good game. Before the match, we made different tactics for both defense and attack. As a result, we will have to change some tactics. We had very good opportunities at the beginning of the match. But we could not use them. There was a problem here. We will look at these. They gathered themselves together when they calmed down at the end of the first half. We showed a good game in the second half. Seeing the score 2-0 can demoralize the players. “When he got his emotions under control, we took action,” he said.