Vorskla forward – about the game with Obolon and the military realities of Ukrainian football
Poltava Vorskla striker Ruslan Stepanyuk became one of the heroes of the match with Obolon in the 14th round of the UPL. It was his accurate strike in the 67th minute that brought the Poltava team victory over the capital team. In an interview with Sport Arena, Stepaniuk assessed the course of the match and also told how the team was preparing for the game, which started three hours later due to an air raid warning.
— Ruslan, this game started much later due to an air raid warning. Instead of 13:00, the starting whistle of referee Kristina Kozorog sounded at 16:15. What have you been doing all this time?
— We were in a bomb shelter. We warmed up and watched the English Championship game Wolverhampton – Tottenham. We have all the right people on our team, and everyone understands the situation in our country. Our enemy does not allow us to live in peace. And we can handle this. We were in the same conditions with Obolon.
— What did Viktor Skripnik emphasize before this match? You recently won a cup game here…
— And we won the Ukrainian Cup here not easily. It was a tough game today too. I think we scored more than one goal. I believe that our victory is deserved.
— For almost 70 minutes of the match the score was 0:0. It took you a long time to break through Kichak. Why?
— You saw that we created scoring chances. And they didn’t score one on one.
— Was the turf at the Obolon stadium of good quality?
— Compared to the game in Uzhgorod, the lawn at Obolon was like the Camp Nou.
— Was the penalty awarded fairly?
— I did not participate in that episode. There is a referee, there is a VAR system. So it was.
— A week ago you missed a penalty in Uzhgorod already in stoppage time. Today you are approaching the penalty mark again…
— Thanks to our head coach, he believed in me.
— Did you want to give someone else the right to shoot from the point?
“It’s not the right age to give someone such an opportunity.”
— Ruslan, what kind of brawl was that at the end of the game?
— A team that loses always has a lot of emotions. It’s part of football. I’m pleased with our performance and dedication.
— Do you have any complaints against Christina Kozorog?
– I have no. And neither do my partners.
— In the next round, Vorskla will host LNZ at home. Is it too early to think about this meeting?
– Certainly. Now there is a pause caused by the qualifying matches for the European Championship. We were given a few days off. Let’s rest a little and heal our injuries. And then we’ll think about the match with LNZ.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
