Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the midfielder of Shakhtar Donetsk and the Armenian national team, shared his impressions in an interview with the club’s official website after the 2:1 victory in the Champions League group stage match against Chelsea.
– “Chelsea” is a great team, but, thank God, we managed to score a quick goal, after which it was extremely easy to play. The opponent had many free zones and we managed to create many dangerous moments. It’s a shame we couldn’t turn them all into results. The most important thing is that we were able to win.
– You had to run and suffer a lot on the field.
– Yes. This is not the championship of Ukraine. In the Champions League, it is necessary to move faster, close the lanes, counterattack quickly. There are no weak competitors here. All teams are very strong. You need to know exactly how to defend and how to attack. We understood that it would not be easy, and we did everything possible to celebrate the victory.
– Can we say that you were a little afraid of “Chelsea”?
– I can’t say something like that. Now “Shakhtar” is on the rise, and it is necessary to continue like that. It’s not over yet. We still have a long way to go.
– When you conceded a goal, didn’t you feel afraid that you might miss the victory?
– No. We did very well throughout the match, very calm and balanced.
– 15 shots on Petr Cech’s goal. That’s a fantastic result.
– And 2 of them are effective (smiles). We could have scored more goals. However, not all attacks are successful.
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