Vitaliy Ponomarov: "Kryvbas" is a very strong and competitive team. Things could have turned out differently

Vitaliy Ponomarov, head coach of LNZ Cherkasy, commented on the UPL Matchday 9 away game against Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, which ended in a 3:0 victory.

- Congratulations on the 3:0 win. The scoreline suggests a very convincing victory, but was the result fully deserved based on the actual run of play?

- If you analyze the match and the number of chances created, I believe our victory today was well-deserved. But this is football; things could have turned out differently. You can never take any game lightly or approach it haphazardly. We prepared the team for a tough battle, as Kryvbas is a very strong and competitive opponent. I want to thank the lads for this performance. Based on how we played, we truly earned these three points.

- There were questions regarding the forward line in the previous match, but today the forwards scored - David, for instance, came on and found the net. How pleased were you with the attacking line in this game?

- In the last round, we played with ten men for about 60 minutes, so things didn't go quite as planned in the attack. Today, however, our play up front was high-quality. Of course, there are always mistakes; there will always be aspects that need improvement. It’s great that we scored three goals, and we had quite a few other scoring opportunities as well. That said, we still need to work on our finishing - there are matches where a single moment decides everything, and you have to make the absolute most of it.

- The team played without the suspended Muravskyi and Riabov, who were previously considered "irreplaceable." How significant was their absence?

- I wouldn't want the concept of "irreplaceable players" to exist in our team at all. Right now, there is good, healthy competition within the squad. Anyone is capable of stepping in and covering for a teammate. Even with players sidelined due to injury or suspension, we had a strong bench capable of enhancing our style of play. Take David, for example - he came on as a substitute, scored a goal, and provided an assist. Undoubtedly, every player is important to the core squad, but this isn't a problem, and there’s no need to dwell on it.

Media of FC "Kryvbas" Kryvyi Rih according to the materials of UPL TV