Oleksiy Belik: "The team played at a high level"

Comment from the head coach of the youth team of Shakhtar Oleksiy Belyk after the victory over Kharkiv U21 (2:0)

– Youth championship matches are difficult. We try to keep track of all the teams to know who is playing. If I'm not mistaken, in these three rounds we are probably the only ones practically without the services of first team players, except for goalkeeper Boryslav. The match was tough, but I am very pleased with it. I thank my friend Mladen Bartulovich, who provided players from Kharkiv U21 who were on the bench for the first team match, and some even took to the field. Thank you for the opportunity to play against older players, as it is really difficult to find matches with adult teams because many refuse to play against younger ones. We had the opportunity to face several players from Kharkiv's main team, as well as foreign players worth four to five million euros. We went out and proved that we, Ukrainians, are not inferior to foreign players and our boys are competitive. I thank my players and emphasize that it would have been worse if Kharkiv U21 had not provided any adult players, as this experience is truly invaluable. I cannot single anyone out separately - everyone played at a high level and gave their all. They also defended very well, except for certain moments, and scored two goals in attack. But if you look at the match, we had so many opportunities that we could have won by a large margin.

– In the first three rounds, Shakhtar's youth team won three victories and demonstrated high efficiency. Are you satisfied with this start?

– Definitely satisfied. It is especially pleasant when the boys put in a lot of effort during training camps and training sessions, and this hard work translates onto the football field. I had and have wonderful assistants, and now with Oleksiy Hai we have changed certain defensive principles of the game - and it pays off. Of course, we will not always keep a clean sheet, sometimes we will make mistakes, but it is noticeable how an organized defense allows for better attacking play. We cannot deny the talent and skill we have. I told the boys that we cannot always win, even if we stick to the game plan and act with focus. Even if the result is not in our favor, we will still progress. It is a great merit of the players who faced such opponents and proved that they are not inferior.

– Shakhtar U21 had a break in the championship ahead. What are the plans for this period?

– The team will have three days off, but some players will join Shakhtar U19 for the next match against Polissya U19. It is important for the players to gain playing experience and maintain their form, as there is a busy schedule ahead and the UEFA Youth League, so we count on all the players. After the break, we will return to the training process, and on Sunday there will be a friendly match with Zorya U21, where we will work on certain game elements.