Oleh Shelaiev: Even after the second round, we clearly understood what difficulties we would face

The coach of Kolos Kovalev, Oleh Shelaiev, commented on the away match of the 5th round of the UPL against Kryvyi Rih's Kryvbas - 2:2 on UPL TV.

- Congratulations on the fighting draw. Ruslan Volodymyrovych broke down, did you come to the flash interview?

- And he broke down, and he is very worried, worried. Such a game, such pressure on the coach... That's why he took a break and entrusted me to talk.

- Can a goal in the last seconds of the match mentally affect Kolos this season, considering how difficult the first rounds were?

- I don't think this goal will radically change our mentality. After the second round, we clearly understood what path we would have to overcome, what difficulties we would face and what goal we have. Now the construction of a new team is underway, these are new challenges. We need to "digest" all this, accept it and show how we will get out of this situation.

- Yuriy Klymchuk's goal can be attributed to the positive. He hasn't scored in the UPL for a long time, he worked a lot at training camps. Will this episode restore his confidence?

- Yuriy is confident in himself, although, of course, he was worried. But he is an athlete. In everyone's career, there are victories, defeats, ups and downs. Ahead of him awaits a difficult path - there will be no quiet smoothness and easy goals. The main thing is that he has moments. We require him to create sharpness, play football and boldly take the initiative. If there are moments - there will be goals.

- The team ran to save the result, but at the end of the match Kozyk was carried out on a stretcher, he grabbed his legs several times. Could the flank have been refreshed earlier, and how does he feel now?

- Alive, more alive than all the living! Nothing critical happened, he's a strong guy. Yes, muscle fatigue or a cramp, but he'll gain momentum, endure and play. We'll continue to train him and make him a strong defender. I would like to separately mention the players who came on as substitutes: Ardit Tahiri saved a draw for us, although he has little playing time, but he's a real professional; Danylo Khrypchuk brilliantly went into the fight and pushed the ball through at the right moment. These actions are extremely useful. I'm very happy for the guys and want to congratulate them on this local success.

- Before the match, they talked about concerns about the flanks of the defense in both teams. With the exception of the expulsion, Rukhadze and Savchuk played a decent game. How did you set the guys up for such a level?

- This is the difficulty when you don't know 100% what to expect from young players directly in the game. We see their qualities in training, but an official match is a different matter, stability is needed here. One game does not prove anything, constant confirmation of the level is needed. They are only entering adult football. We want each of them to decide episodes in their favor, and not just finish the game or give the initiative to others. We will develop them and give them a chance.

- This is the third expulsion of Kolos players at the start of the season. What should the staff do about it?

- I will compare it to a poor harvest year: sometimes everything grows by itself, and sometimes - there is not enough rain, fertilizers were not applied on time... Our season will be like that: with ruts, ravines, without a smooth road. We will have to go through injuries, mistakes, lack of teamwork and rookies getting used to it. We are ready for these difficulties and will move forward step by step.

Media of FC "Kryvbas" Kryvyi Rih