Jovicevic: It's a pity, but it's a very important point for us
Press conference of Shakhtar head coach Igor Jovicevic after the match with Real Madrid (1-1).
– Igor, congratulations on a decent game. You said before the match that the team would fight for the whole of Ukraine, and it was obvious. Players say they would have been happy with a draw before the game, but now everyone is very upset. What are your emotions?
– I'm a little older and have been longer in football. The players are upset and sad, but if you are sad that you did not beat Real Madrid, it means that you are on a good path. The project that we started three months ago did not even look like a project, and now we are fighting on an equal footing with the best club in the world – it is the merit of the players only. I enjoyed every second of the match, looking at the team, looking at the young men. The way they fight is what I talked about: in such a difficult time, they fight for all Ukrainian people. In terms of results, this is football and we have to accept that as an integral part of football. However, as for the game, as Carlo Ancelotti told me personally, we deserved to win today. And, especially, considering the opportunity Traore had – it's a pity we didn’t realize it. You aim for 2-0 and finish the match. Individuality, bravery, courage, determination against such an opponent being shown during the most part of the match please me as a coach. There is a saying: From zero to hero. We started from scratch and became heroes. They're really heroes. To me, they are heroes. It’s one point, but over time you will see that it is a huge point. I have a feeling right now that we lost two points, and that's true. When you get scored in the final seconds, it's frustrating. But the truth is also what you said: who would have thought about this point before the match? You think about winning as a sports player, but you always know whom you're playing against. So, generally, in building the attack, both with the ball, and without the ball, we drew conclusions from the last match, from the mandrake that was at the Bernabeu and we made adjustments. It was much easier to play because we felt the stadium, the support of the fans, which carried us and added adrenaline. We were a lot more compact, pretty solid defensively, except for the last episode, which is more of an accident than some combined action. It's a pity, but it's a very important point for us, given that Celtic lost to Leipzig. Now they will have to go to Madrid to fight Real Madrid, and we have a big enough chance to exit the group if we play the same way. It is our best game, absolutely the best game in three months from the beginning of the new project. It's just our bright future.
– What makes you most proud about today's game of your team?
– Their personal play, their attitude to the match, the level of game the team showed. It is our best game. We started the project with Shakhtar almost from scratch, without the Brazilians, and now we have a powerful team that can compete on an equal footing with the strongest club in the world. When we were in a locker room, we felt upset because we lost two points conceding a goal in the last minute. I'm delighted with the level of our attack. True, I can't be happy with this draw, but the project goes on and we continue to play in the Champions League, build the team and fight on.
– Thank you for the result. This seems to be a case that the coach's fighting spirit is passed on to the team. At half-time Carlo Ancelotti made changes to improve the game and so you did. It turns out that after the break you beat Ancelotti himself. What did you say to the players at half-time that they found some extra motivation and strength in themselves?
– We directed the game, let's put it that way. The first half was successful: I saw that everyone was in the game, no one fell out. I enjoyed every second and saw that there were prospects for a positive outcome. They insisted on continuing the same way so that the rhythm and tempo would not be lost. And we met the beginning of the second half with a goal, a good goal by Zubkov. It gave us confidence, even more adrenaline, the fans began to support us even more, the vigor that I asked them for before the match appeared. I asked them to put vigor and drive to the game, because you should not have a mandrake when playing against Madrid. In the first match, we had a little nervousness and they punished us with two goals for it. Today it was the other way around. I think we deserved to win – not by chance, but by the game. I'm grateful to the guys for today's game. They made many, many people proud in Ukraine and in the stadium. Over time, we will see how important this point is. Now everyone is sad sitting in the locker room. It feels like we've lost two points. But it's football – sometimes you score in the last seconds, sometimes you got scored. It's a great pity, but we need to move on. If we play this way for a long time, we will be competitive with strong teams. The project has a big future. And, I say, today's game is an absolute thrill. I think everybody can be proud of what they showed on the football field.
– Have the recent events in Ukraine united the team?
– We played compactly, attacked and played well in defence. Zubkov, Mudryk, Traore helped us build the team's attacks. We play without the Brazilians, build a project with Ukrainian players and have great potential in the future. Now we have a chance to exit the group. Ukrainian Clasico awaits for us: the matches of Shakhtar and Dynamo are like the matches of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
– After the match, you talked with Carlo Ancelotti on the field. What did he tell you?
– Right, we had a talk. My opinion is that he is the best coach in the world. I'd like to get to his level. He told me we deserved to win today. I would like to stay today with this moment when one of the best professionals says that we deserved to win and he likes the way we played. This is motivation for all the players, for the whole club, for all the people who work here. Because it's a reason for absolute pride.
– Is there any information about Trubin's health? Will he be able to play against Dynamo?
– His head is bandaged, it hurts a little. But he came out of the locker room on his feet. He's a great person and a top goalkeeper. He is made of material that can withstand such blows. Hopefully, everything will be okay.
