Mladen Bartulovich: "Very bitter defeat - I believe we did not deserve it"

The head coach of "Metalist 1925" Mladen Bartulovich commented on the match against "Shakhtar", evaluated the game of his team, and answered questions about the key moments of the match:

— Mladen, a minimal and bitter defeat from "Shakhtar", but the team showed itself worthy. Do you agree?

— Good evening, everyone. Yes, a very bitter defeat - I believe we didn't deserve it. I am satisfied with how my boys looked today. One episode decided the fate of the meeting. It is very sad for us because, in my opinion, we played a good match. We also had moments where we could have scored and equalized. But we have what we have. Congratulations to "Shakhtar" on the victory, and thank you to my players for their attitude.

— At the beginning of the first half, there was an unpleasant episode with an injury. Do you already know how serious it is?

— We don't know yet. An unpleasant episode happened on the thirteenth minute, but this is football. We made a substitution, and Vladislav Kalitvintsev entered the game well and also played well.

— How do you assess the penalty awarded against your team? Do you consider this decision fair?

— There are experts and referees - let them comment on this decision. I haven't seen this moment yet. It's sad that such an episode decides the fate of the game, but I don't know the details yet.

— In your opinion, in which components of the game did "Shakhtar" outperform your team?

— I don't think "Shakhtar" outperformed us in anything. The game was equal. They worked with the ball, we worked with the ball too. We attacked, pressed well, and "Shakhtar" also pressed us. I believe the level of the match was good, and the fate of the game was decided by that episode with the penalty.

— In matches against such an opponent as "Shakhtar", what is more important to you: the result or the character shown by the team?

— Of course, we want a result. But I also want my boys to show good and decent football. For us, this is a very good test in a match against such an opponent as "Shakhtar". And I believe that today we showed that we can play on equal terms with "Shakhtar".