Karpaty Lviv assistant head coach Ihor Ermakov shared his thoughts following the team’s victory over Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih in Round 12 of the Ukrainian Premier League, emphasizing that the side has made clear progress.
His comments were published by the club’s press service.
“The game was completely under our control,” Ermakov said. “In that situation, the players decided to build attacks patiently, because the opponent was sitting very deep. There was no need to rush — we were leading 1–0 at the time. We wanted to draw Kryvbas out and then exploit the open spaces. Again, the opponent dropped very low. To make them push higher and open up gaps in behind and between the lines, we had to pull them forward.”
“To do that, we needed to keep possession, provoke them, and use the space that appeared. Otherwise, the game would have turned into constant crosses, battles for second balls, and long shots. I want people to understand — the boys are working very hard. I won’t compare us to other teams, but in previous matches, when opponents sat deep, we often resorted to crossing and shooting from distance. Today, we created chances differently. I believe this is a step forward.”
Earlier, Kryvbas head coach Patrick van Leeuwen also gave his assessment of the match.
The defeat extends Kryvbas’ winless run to three matches, leaving them fifth in the league table with 20 points. Karpaty, meanwhile, celebrate their second consecutive league victory and climb to eighth place with 18 points.