Roar energy helps Pitmen dig for victory

Captain Darijo Srna thanked the FC Shakhtar Donetsk fans for giving his side the energy to earn a place in the UEFA Cup final, admitting: "I was so tired during the last half an hour that I could hardly keep running."

Exhausting game
A 2-1 win at home against FC Dynamo Kyiv completed a 3-1 aggregate victory for the 2007/08 domestic champions in the all-Ukrainian semi-final, leaving Srna almost lost for words. "It's fantastic, that's all," he said. He went on to thank the home fans in Donetsk for giving his side the strength to battle on in an exhausting encounter, which was eventually won by Ilsinho's 89th-minute goal.

Terrace fuel
"They were great and this victory is for them," said the 27-year-old Croatian. "Our fans have been waiting so long for such a success and they always believed in us. To tell the truth, I was so tired during the last half an hour that I could hardly keep running, but when I saw the supporters around me and heard how they got behind us, I made myself play on. So did all my team-mates."

'True character'
Jadson had put Shakhtar ahead on the night, but Srna said it took real courage for his side to respond to Ismaël Bangoura's leveller just after the break. "We showed our true character, though I have to thank Ilsinho who scored a fantastic goal," he said. "I have to applaud Dynamo as they played quality football but, for me, Shakhtar were the side who deserved the UEFA Cup final place more."

Raţ prediction
Romanian left-back Răzvan Raţ was emotional after the final whistle, even though he always believed his side would be playing in Istanbul on 20 May. "I don't think we fully realise yet what we have just done," he said. "We will remember this for the rest of our lives. A few months ago I predicted we would be in the final. Almost everyone laughed then but, as you see, it came true."

Back to work
The cool Dmytro Chygrynskiy, meanwhile, urged his side to get their feet back on the ground quickly. "We must not be euphoric for long but start preparing for the final from tomorrow," said the 22-year-old Ukrainian international. "It would be a great disappointment if we missed such an opportunity to win a European trophy, especially given how difficult the road to the final is."