Patriсk van Leeuwen: The victory is the result of daily systematic work that we started back in June

The head coach of Kryvyi Rih Kryvbas Patrick van Leeuwen commented on the away match of the 9th round of the UPL against Ruh Lviv - 2:1.

- We started the game well: we were organized, we knew what to expect from the opponent. Rukh has a similar style of play to ours: they are energetic, press well and constantly impose the fight. In the first half we scored a goal and continued to create chances, but sometimes we lacked accuracy in the final phase - both in passes and in shots.

There were also questions about the organization in defense. In the second half we tried to fix it, act more collected, more concentrated and purposeful. As a result, we scored the second goal. At the end of the match we conceded, which made the ending quite nervous, but the guys gathered themselves, showed character and brought the game to victory.

- How would you assess the team's performance today in general?

- I think the team was well prepared for the match today. We started the game well, scored a goal in the first half and had a game advantage over Rukh, who were, however, quite a dangerous opponent. In the second half, we made some adjustments, as I was not entirely satisfied with certain moments in defense.

So we focused on that - I showed the guys fragments from the first half and emphasized that we need to realize all our opportunities, because we had a lot of them. In the second half, we managed to score again - this gave the team confidence and helped to keep the pace until the final whistle.

- Paraco opened the score, realizing his moment. How satisfied are you with his form and progress throughout the season?

- Carlos is a newcomer who came from another country and joined a team that has also partially renewed its squad. He is demonstrating steady progress: scoring goals and giving good assists. I am really pleased with how he has adapted and developed. I hope that with each match he will be even more focused on effective actions.

- In the second half, the team captain Maksym Zaderaka scored a goal. How important is it to have such a leader on the field?

- Maksym is a very valuable player both for the team and for me personally. He knows the team well from the inside, understands the specifics of the Ukrainian Premier League. This helps him to be a leader not only on the field, but also in the locker room: he is always ready to support, prompt young players, and set an example. I am very glad that we have such a captain, and I am grateful to him for his contribution to the team's success.

- At the end of the game, I was a little nervous because of the goal of "Ruh". What helped us to hold on to the victory?

- We had moments that we needed to realize - this would have greatly facilitated the task of the defenders. We are a young team with a young defense line, so it is important to use our chances in attack as much as possible to avoid such tension. But even after the conceded goal, the guys gathered themselves, showed character and brought the game to victory.

- In your opinion, was this one of the most emotional matches of the season?

- Every match has its own emotional tension. Often additional emotions arise due to refereeing decisions, you don't know until the last minute whether it will be a penalty or a free kick. This adds emotion to the game.

- Tell us more about the problems in defense.

- It was more related to positional errors: players sometimes took not quite the right positions, which caused an imbalance. We discussed this during the break, analyzed the episodes, made adjustments, and already in the second half the defensive game looked more coordinated.

- Are you satisfied with the realization of the chances?

- We realized several of our chances, which is important. The opponent also had chances, but you can't judge the game only by statistics. Yes, they said that there were 23 shots on our goal, but there weren't that many really dangerous situations, I don't remember our goalkeeper often helping out in difficult episodes.

In addition, we had a moment when, in my opinion, a penalty should have been awarded to Rukh, but the referee ignored the episode. We also had excellent chances in counterattacks, in particular, Mendoza and Paraco could have scored. We need to work on implementation, but overall I see progress.

- The team is currently leading the standings. Did you expect such results at the start of the season?

- The victory and the current first place are the result of daily systematic work, which we started back in June. The players really deserve the first place, because they are dedicated to training, progressing, and growing as a team.

Media of FC "Kryvbas" Kryvyi Rih