Jovicevic: God rewarded Shakhtar for such energy and character

Added at:
another languages: uk ru

Shakhtar head coach Igor Jovicevic shared his thoughts regarding match against Celtic (1-1).

– It was a difficult match. I assure you that every team would have difficulties with current Celtic. This is the best Celtic during the last 20 years, with excellent coach and very dynamic players who perform fast dribbling after giving away the ball. The team with aggressive pressing not allowing to “recover your breath” at all. If you saw, they should have scored 4 goals in the first match against Real Madrid. They lost 0-3, but Celtic surpassed Real by chances and play to the 60th minute. So we cannot talk here about accident, we prepared very seriously. They have more experience, they have an international squad with expensive players, they were favourites. We knew that the match beginning would be aggressive and it was very important for us to withstand this moment. But they scored. They felt support of their fans who were pushing them and giving them energy all the time. But there is one thing that is very important for us, for our team that is young, talented, disciplined and strong-willed. It is when you concede you return to the play, return to the match. And we should be proud, this is important for young boys, that you took the ball again, controlled it and got back in the game. And after we scored, we could have scored more: there was one centimetre offside, but we had the feeling that we were playing at least on the same level, as we had the ball and could think. And their pressing wasn’t so successful, because we were confident. In the second half, of course, they dictated the play. There were some forced substitutions, but every player used by the opponent was even more expensive. So this is a great experience for us. I think that we did not allow the opponent to create many chances. We knew for whom we were playing: we understand that people supported us in the stands, gave us impulse, plus 40 million of Ukrainians staying in their country, who watched our match and gave us energy. So we can say that this point is an excellent result. And not only because we got a point, but also because we took 3 points from Celtic. This can be important, because you never know what is next. We can be proud that the team demonstrated a character, fought till the end and implemented the impossible. We made the things, which everyone thought to be impossible against RB Leipzig, possible. This is the hardest when you endure, so you must think only about the impossible things. And if you cannot win, try not to lose. And, after all, God will reward you for such energy and character.

– You mentioned the atmosphere in the stands, how do you feel in Warsaw? Can say that you feel here at home?
– I cannot say that, because we have been here only for two days and didn’t even see the city. I hope that after a break for national teams, after weekend we will return here in Warsaw and will be able to get more acquainted with the city. We will prepare here for our next match in the Ukrainian championship. But we are grateful to Legia Warsaw for the possibility to train in optimum conditions at their training centre. And Warsaw is a very beautiful place. That's out of the question. This is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. And we want to thank the fans who visited the stadium today. We felt their support very much, they were just brining us forward. And there even were some moments when we didn’t feel exhaustion, we just were connected with the stands and flied along the filed. So I want to thank everyone who was at the stadium today one more time. We will return to Warsaw after the break.

– You will have to face Real Madrid in a few weeks. How do you prepare for matches with such difficult opponent?
– First of all, I want to rest after these two matches and intense physical and emotional loads. We will certainly start to prepare for Real closer to the game both tactically and within the team. Everything is possible in one match. One match can be always won by non-favourite team. And they shall prove that they are the best on that day. They are really a favourite team, the best club in the world. It was an honour for me to play for this club for five years (1991-1996). This club made me better as a person. I am very grateful to many people, who work there now, who have played together with me back then. It will be a great challenge, good memories to play with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu where I have played as a footballer. There are many such components that I proud of. But we still have some time before this moment: we want to recover, rest, receive new emotions and then to play successfully against the best club in the world.

another languages: uk ru

NewsRSS - News - Terrikon

05 October

10:00
U20 World Cup 2025: Brazil Crash Out After Group Stage Heartbreak
09:50
Vinícius Jr. Fires Real Madrid Past Villarreal in Title Clash
08:08
Bonny Shines as Inter Cruise Past Cremonese to Go Top

04 October

21:47
Chelsea Stun Liverpool with 96th-Minute Winner
20:03
Saka Hits Century as Arsenal Defeat West Ham
19:13
Manchester United Cruise Past Sunderland
19:01
Dortmund and Leipzig Share the Points in Top-Three Clash
18:39
Lazio Makes History with 103rd-Minute Equaliser Against Torino
17:39
Russell Claims Pole Position at Singapore Grand Prix
17:11
Kudus Scores First Tottenham Goal to Seal Vital Win Over Leeds
16:46
Coventry on Fire: Frank Lampard's Side Destroys Sheffield Wednesday
09:47
FIFA U-20 World Cup 2025: Knockout Stage Begins to Take Shape

03 October

17:25
Andrii Matiukha Foundation: Supporting Veterans, Humanitarian Projects, and Ukrainian Hospitals
14:35
FIFA Unveils Official Match Ball for the 2026 World Cup
08:32
Europa League: Thursday's Results Shake Up the Group Stage
08:13
UEFA Europa Conference League: Group Stage Kicks Off with Goals Galore

02 October

16:35
Mbappé Named Champions League Player of the Week
11:46
Arsenal Emerge as Champions League Favourites
11:13
Moroccan Triumph, Brazilian Meltdown: Drama Unfolds at the U20 World Cup 2025
09:45
Six Teams, Zero Mistakes: Who Leads the Champions League After Matchday 2?
08:17
Greek Drama in London as Arsenal Stay Perfect in Champions League
08:00
Haaland's Brace Not Enough as Monaco Stun Man City
00:36
PSG Stun Barcelona Despite Major Injury Woes

01 October

10:23
Japan U-20 Become First Team to Reach Knockouts at FIFA U-20 World Cup 2025
09:25
Inter Show Ruthless Hospitality in San Siro Thrashing of Slavia