Artem BONDARENKO: “I am happy to return to the field”

Midfielder of Shakhtar Donetsk Artem Bondarenko He shared his feelings about the victory against Antwerp (1:0) in the 5th round match of the Champions League group stage.

– Artem, with victory! We personally congratulate you on your return to the field, everyone is happy to see you in the game. Tell us your impressions of the match.

– First of all, thank you because I am really happy to be back! I missed the team and this month was quite difficult for me: I trained 24 hours a day, did everything to return as quickly as possible. I want to thank everyone who contributed to my recovery, who ran with me, treated me and did everything for me, I really appreciate it and I really want to thank these people who helped me come back. As for the match, we are very happy to win and secure our place in the Europa League, but this is not the maximum goal. We know our next goal and we will move towards it. I hope everything gives the desired result. We won despite the poor quality of the pitch, but we showed character and everything went as it should.

– I also want to ask about your health: Are you worried about the damage you are receiving?

– It doesn’t bother me, but it’s hard to come back after a month’s break. Now we need to work on the field little by little and I think it will get better every day.

– What was Marino Pusic’s general plan for this match and did the team manage to act accordingly?

“Our plan was always to control the ball and the game. But the field was really difficult, everyone realized that they should not take risks again because beautiful football is beautiful football and a result is needed. Therefore, at some moments we did not complicate things, we played more reliably and simply. In general, there is a conclusion, that is, everything is fine.

– Now the matches in the UPL are a little more difficult for Shakhtar than in the Champions League. Why?

– It’s hard to say. In the championship, the teams are getting closer to each other and we are experiencing a lack of sharpness somewhere in the last part. But I think everything will be fine: there are difficult matches, but the team is doing everything to move forward, follow the coach’s instructions and achieve a positive result.

– Germany became the home of Shakhtar in this Champions League. Did you feel the support of the fans?

– Yes, of course I felt it. We are so grateful to be supported in every country we play in. Therefore, we can only thank you sincerely once again, we are grateful.