Forward Rukha – about the match with Metalist 1925 as part of the 21st round of the UPL
20-year-old Rukh forward Ilya Kvasnitsa became one of the heroes match of the 21st round against Metalist 1925. His assets include: goal and earned penalty. After the match, we talked with the striker, asking how Rukh was able to achieve a third consecutive away victory in the Ukrainian Premier League.
— Ilya, how did you prepare for the match in the capital of Ukraine?
“We knew it would be a tough fight. We tried to show the kind of football that we train. It was important to find the enemy’s weaknesses too. I think we found them in the first half.
— Everything was decided in the middle of the first half. Were you knocked down by the home team’s defender in someone else’s penalty area?
– Of course, there was a blow to the leg. The referee confirmed this with VAR.
— Three minutes later you scored yourself. This is already your sixth goal in the elite division…
— My partner Evgeniy Pastukh did everything there, all I had to do was score.
— How can you score 4 goals in 19 minutes of the first half?
“We put a lot of pressure on the opponent and were able to use the free zones in the opposing half of the field. Metalist 1925 plays with a diamond in midfield and they didn’t have enough people on the flanks. We had to beat our opponents on the flanks and make crosses into the home team’s penalty area.
— After which goal did you realize that victory was not going to escape you?
— We had to play collectedly until the 90th minute of the game.
— Ilya, let’s discuss the removal of Vitaly Roman in the opening of the second half. Why did he play so rudely against the hosts’ goalkeeper?
– Don’t know. You need to be more careful on the football field.
— You recently beat Dnepr-1 away. WedAlook at these two games?
— With Metalist 1925, we acted better in terms of organizing the game. Yes, we also scored there at the beginning of the match. But then these numerous worries… In total, we spent seven hours at the Dnepr Arena stadium. It is very difficult. I think that Dnepr-1 needs to find a stadium for home matches somewhere in another region.
— After a series of three victories, Rukh is already in the top five UPL teams. Are the Eurocups getting closer?
— We will try to score points in every match. Although the goal is definitely to get into European competitions, no.
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.
