After the friendly match between Zenit and Dinamo (1:0) in Abu Dhabi, Samarkand's head coach, Vadim Abramov, gave an interview to the club's press service, openly sharing his impressions and important conclusions from the match against the 10-time Russian champions.
In the first 45 minutes of the match, "Dynamo" showed a worthy resistance to the opponent: the game went evenly, the team defended orderly, and launched a confident attack. But after the break, the scene became more interesting: Abramov's team increased tempo, gained more ball control, and increased pressure in the opponent's half. The saddest part is that the chances created in that second half, which was dominating, didn't turn into goals.
Vadim Karlenovich noted that the match against Zenit was a very useful "sparring." He pushed aside the excuse for defeat, placing the main blame on his team:
- The game with Zenit was a good sparring match. "We are the only ones to blame for our losses," said the coach.
At the same time, Abramov did not bypass the issue of refereeing. According to him, it's not about helping someone, but when the game itself is not allowed to "leak":
- The refereeing offended me a little. He didn't allow either team to play. Fortunately, it didn't all lead to a fight," he added, hinting at how tense the situation was.
Abramov noted that the score could be completely different if opportunities from the first half were utilized effectively. He also acknowledged that Zenit's name had a certain impact on the players' morale: sometimes, in a match against a big club, "excessive respect" also affects the result.
Another important point of the coach is that the youth were given a wide opportunity in the second half. Abramov saw this as a planned process: the team will now see the shortcomings faster against the backdrop of such strong opponents and draw the right conclusions.
- I was satisfied with the game in the first half, and in the second half we gave many young players a chance. "We will draw conclusions and continue to work," he said.
Abramov also stated that he has no serious objections to the players regarding the positions. In his opinion, it is wrong to make a decisive decision with one game: on the contrary, it is precisely such disputes that serve as "muscurous paper" for determining the composition.
Notably, the coach openly stated that he will determine the starting lineup for the first round match on February 28th. So, the match against Zenit was a "big diagnostic" that gave the team more meaning than the result, allowing them to test themselves.
In short, "Dynamo" lost, but didn't return empty-handed: the team saw its strengths and weaknesses, the youth showed themselves, and the coach clarified the plan. Now the most important thing is to turn these conclusions into results on the field.
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