– Incredible feelings from the fact that he returned to the starting line-up again. Recovery after the injury took a lot of time, I had a relapse. Today, for the first time in probably two and a half months, he went on the field in the main team. But, thank God, everything turned out well: I returned, and we won an important victory.
– Alexander Shovkovsky said that even for him the first goal was a surprise. Did you practice such a combination or was it an improvisation?
– It was an improvisation. We got together with Buyalsky, Vanat and Nazik Voloshyn, and decided to play just like that. Also, Vanat connected very well. Now we joke that it is necessary to gather on the field like this more often (smiles) and spontaneously decide something. Everything turned out great: a good combination, a beautiful goal that brought victory to the team.
– Did the weather and wet snow strongly affect the course of today’s match?
– The wind, which blew in one direction, then in the other, interfered more, especially during passes – it was impossible to calculate the flight of the ball. But the slippery field also affected me: when I served the corner, I slipped. “Veres” got on our nerves today, but the main thing is a victory, so that we can go on vacation with a break from the pursuers and with a good mood.
– Did the minimum score of 1:0 throughout the match make you nervous?
– That’s really true. We have to play until the last minute, we did it and won.
– In the match of the first round, you also defeated “Veres” with a difference of one goal – then the score was 2:1. Is this opponent always so persistent?
– Yes, this is a fighting team. I think you noticed that they took points from “Shakhtar” and “Alexandria”. They are always very difficult to play with, but we prepared for it, and the game turned out as we expected.
– What rating can you give yourself and the team on a ten-point scale for the first part of the season?
– If we are talking about the championship – 10. As for the European Cups, there is no rating here. We have zero points – what can be said or estimated here.
– Did you expect that you will go to the winter break with a ten-point advantage over the reigning champion?
– To be honest, we did not expect such a separation. But it can be said that this is just the beginning. When I was in Dnipro-1, we also had an advantage, perhaps not so big, but everything is decided in the second round.
– Last week you became a father for the second time. Did it give you motivation?
– Yes, I became a father again. Incredible sensations. Now I will try to please my two sons with my game.
– So, do you have a male team in your family?
– If he is talking about my own family – yes. But I have a sister, a mother, a wife, so it is impossible to say that there are only men in the family.
– What are the team’s plans for the winter break?
– We will have a little more than two weeks of rest, and already on January 5 we are leaving for training.
– How do you plan to spend your vacation and how will you celebrate New Year and Christmas?
– I will stay in Kyiv with my family, with a small child. I do not plan to go anywhere. But I know that some guys are going to go to Lviv or Bukovel.
