Hero of the 8th round of the First League Petr Lutsiv: Metalist has become more coordinated this season

The Lutsiv brothers are famous all-rounders. They managed to play on the flanks of defense and midfield, and in their previous team they even formed a forward duo. For example, Petr Lutsiv did not score until the eighth round, playing as a flank midfielder or forward. And he started the match against FC Minaj in the position of right back – and scored twice and became a co-author of another goal!

Of course, the jury of Sport Arena and PFL did not ignore such a strong individual performance.

The hero of the eighth round in the First League, Petro Lutsiv, shared his impressions of Metalist’s victory over Minaj (3:0) in an exclusive interview with Sport Arena. For the Kharkiv team, this was their debut victory of the season, and Petro scored a double and made an assist.

– How pleasant is it for you to be recognized as the best player of the round in the First League?

– It’s always nice when your work is assessed by authoritative experts. I gave my all to the game and am happy that I helped the team get three points.

– Metalist couldn’t win before the last round, although they played well. It seems that the team lacks a scoring striker, because you create chances?

– Indeed, the striker position is a problem for us, but I think that with time everything will get better. I am sure that with each game we will play better in the final third of the field, and the goals will come.

– In your opinion, has Metalist made progress in the game compared to last season?

– The young footballers of our team have become more mature, they are gradually revealing their potential and playing better. In addition, our team has become more coordinated. We are gradually progressing and this is the main thing now.

– What were your expectations for the game with Minaj? Did you understand that you could beat this opponent, since the Uzhgorod team is not in its best shape?

– We were focused only on winning. We understood that if we played our best football, we would be able to achieve a result. We are happy that we were able to implement all our plans. Each player did everything to win.

– You opened the scoring already in the 15th minute. Do you remember the episode with the goal? It seemed like the goalkeeper made a mistake…

– I played well on the rebound and shot into the corner of the goal with my left foot. Of course, it wasn’t my best shot and luck smiled a little. Nevertheless, luck favors the brave. A very important goal for our team.

– In the last minute of the first half, you initially failed to convert a penalty, but quickly corrected your mistake. What did you feel inside after not scoring right away?

— I understood that I needed to finish the episode as soon as possible and score a goal. I am happy that I was able to correct the mistake. The goal in the locker room gave the team confidence in their own strength.

– In the second half, your team completely controlled the course of events on the field and even scored another goal. Have you ever played so solidly this season?

– Indeed, we completely controlled the course of events on the field. In the second half, it remained to bring the game to its logical conclusion. We played great and deservedly won. I always want to play like that. After the debut victory, the whole team was overwhelmed with positive emotions. However, we did not rejoice for a long time, because the whole fight is still ahead.

– Is versatility your greatest strength? What position do you play most comfortably in?

– In the match with Minaj I played on the right in defense. The position on the field is not of key importance to me. You have to go out in any position and bring victory to the team with your play.

– We know that your brother Vasily is recovering from an injury. How is he doing and when might he return to action?

– Yes, my brother is recovering from a serious injury. Everything is going according to plan. I think that we will see him on the football field soon.

– In your native Transcarpathia you played for a number of teams. In which team were you able to show yourself more, and where did you feel out of place?

– There have been ups and downs in my career. It was never easy anywhere, because this is football and you always have to work and give your all. I felt good in every team. In my opinion, I was able to show myself the most in Khust. I will do everything to reach a new level of my development together with Metalist.

BLITZ

• Born in the urban settlement of Chinadievo
• Pupil – SDYUSSHOR Uzhgorod
• First coach – Vyacheslav Ventselovitch Pinkovsky
• Favorite club – Real Madrid
• Favorite player: Joao Cancelo
• Goal in football? I want to play in top European leagues

Yaroslav Kroha