Oleksandr Petrakov: I thanked the lads for the second half, but we don't deserve a win yet

Oleksandr Petrakov, head coach of Kryvyi Rih’s Kryvbas, commented on the UPL Matchday 12 away game against Epiсentr Kamianets-Podilskyi (which ended in a 1:1 draw) in an interview with the club’s media.

- Oleksandr Vasylovych, how would you assess today’s match? The team created quite a few chances and took the lead, but ultimately ended up with a draw. What are your thoughts?

- I was actually pleased with the draw against Bukovyna and called it a decent result, given that it was my first match in charge of the team. But this time, I am very disappointed with the draw. We started the first half very poorly - I even had to raise my voice when speaking to the lads during the break. However, I thanked them for the second half - for how they reacted and played. But, as I’ve said many times before: it simply means we don’t deserve a win just yet.

- What do you think was the deciding factor? Why couldn’t the team hold onto the lead?

- Purely individual and technical-tactical errors. You shouldn’t look for a single person to blame in defense - the whole team is always responsible. In one instance, a defender couldn’t quite reach the ball, while up front, the forwards failed to convert their chances, even though there were plenty of opportunities. A mistake here, a missed chance there - and that’s how you end up with a draw. Overall, it wasn’t a bad performance, but our position in the standings demands that we secure maximum points.

- There is an upcoming break for international matches. What are the team’s plans for this period?

- I’ve given the lads three days off. We are gathering on November 11th for a training session. We’ll go about our regular work, and on Sunday, we’ll hold an internal test match - this will be a great chance for me to see all the players in action. After that, we’ll focus our preparations on the important home match against Kudrivka.

Media of FC "Kryvbas" Kryvyi Rih