Volodymyr Brazhko: ‘The ball just wouldn’t go in, but we’ll fix it in Romania’

Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Volodymyr Brazhko spoke after his side’s goalless draw with Universitatea Cluj in the first leg of their Europa League first qualifying round. Playing at Arena Lublin in Poland, Ihor Kostyuk’s men failed to break the deadlock and will now head to Romania with everything to play for. “It was a tough match. Of course, we wanted a positive result at home, and a draw is not positive for us. But there are still 90 minutes left in Romania, and we’ll fix it,” Brazhko said. The defensive midfielder admitted finishing let them down. “The ball just wouldn’t go in. We created enough chances — sometimes the final pass didn’t work, sometimes we missed the target. It wasn’t our day today, but that’s only the first half. The second is in Romania. I believe in this team and that we can get the result we need.” Brazhko also looked ahead to the return leg on July 16 at Cluj Arena (kickoff 8:30 p.m. local time). “We’ve played away in front of big crowds before. I think the lads and I will actually enjoy that atmosphere — it gives you an extra boost.” He also touched on his connection with Tomasz Kędziora, who re-joined Dynamo this summer. “I was still at the club when he left, so we know each other well. He’s a team player, always helping and advising the younger guys. We have a great atmosphere in the squad, and now we need to bring that onto the pitch to get the job done,” Brazhko told Dynamo’s official website.