Shakhtar Donetsk manager Igor Jovicevic was delighted as his team held Celtic to a point after being bowled over by Ange Postecoglou’s side during their Champions League game, collapsing to his knees at the final whistle and pointing to the heavens in relief.
Jovicevic was hugely impressed by the pressing and aggressive play of the Scottish champions and admitted his team had been somewhat fortunate to escape with a draw.
“This was one of the most important games for at least 20 years,” Jovicevic said. “It was a great game, very dynamic. Celtic are very dynamic, very aggressive, they move very fast and we knew that we would be facing aggressive pressing from their side.
“If you look at the way they played against Real Madrid, yes Real Madrid won 3-0 but for the first 60 minutes Celtic were actually dominating. That is not by chance, it is the way they play.
“They are very experienced and a very strong team. They are super fast and a super aggressive team and we knew exactly what we were about to face. The pressing, especially in the beginning, was incredible.
“We tried to hold them off and we failed, they did score a goal, but then we felt the support given to us by the fans and that was incredible.
"We could feel them with us. Our team is very young and talented and what I cherish about them is that even after we lost the first goal those young guys resumed control of the ball. We can all be proud of that.
“We picked up the fight and started controlling the ball and moving forward. No matter what was happening, we kept on playing and fighting for the ball.
"After that, the pressing was no longer as significant for us. We felt more confident during the game.
“The game was a very good experience. Yes, they gave us a very hard time but don’t forget we were supported by 40 million fans in Ukraine and we did score a point and we did take two points away from Celtic and we did score a goal.
“This game is something to be really proud about. This game has shown our character and what we are capable of.
“We turned the impossible into possible, we turned the improbable into probable. This was quite a game to be proud about.”
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