Alexander Romanchuk: The Georgia-Ukraine match became a cosmic event for Batumi

Having drawn with the national team Georgia, The Ukrainian national team remained in last place in its group one round before the finish. Match Georgia – Ukraine we discussed with the ex-football player of the national team of Ukraine Alexander Romanchuk. In his career, he played 8 matches for our main team, and now, together with his family, he lives in Batumi and supported the Ukrainian national team in the stands of the Batumi Arena.

See also: Georgia – Ukraine. Video review of the match for November 16

— On the day of the Georgia-Ukraine match in Batumi, it was raining heavily, which, together with the terrible wind, even created the preconditions for postponing the match to another day…

— It was raining quite heavily in the morning. In general, this weather is typical for Batumi, and this also happens in the summer. However, such bad weather does not last more than one day. For example, on the day our team arrived in Batumi it was warm. On Sunday it was sunny again, and the thermometer rose to +18 degrees. The players of both teams were a little unlucky with the weather. As for the turf at the stadium, it was recently resurfaced, and no one played here for almost a month. However, on the edges it was clear that the water was not draining well, maybe the drainage was not the best.

— Were there many Ukrainian football fans at the stadium that evening?

– A lot. In total, there were, according to official data, 19,120 spectators in the 20,000-seat arena. The Ukrainian sector was full. I sat closer to the central stand, and there were also many of our compatriots there. There were enough of our flags in the stands of the stadium. Of course, the Georgian fans took it both in numbers and in skill. The noise in the stands was such that the players often did not hear their partners’ advice.

— How many fans come to Batumi for Dynamo games?

— There are about 5,000 spectators at the Georgian championship. In the summer, about 10,000 fans came to the Champions League qualifying games. It is clear that the meeting between Georgia and Ukraine is a cosmic event for the city. This match was talked about long before it started. Although there is never much football advertising in the city. When Ukrainian specialist Andrey Demchenko was still working here as a trainer, I asked him the question: “Why is there no outdoor advertising in the city?” To which he replied: “Nobody wants to bother with this. Football fans already know everything, but tourists, of whom there are many in the city, could add some ambiance to the stadium.” So far, over the past two years, there has been excitement at this stadium for two matches: Georgia – Ukraine and the final of the European Youth Championship last year, Spain – England.

— What are your overall impressions of the Ukrainian national team’s performance in this match?

— In the first half, our players played very well. We scored a goal early and it weighed on the boys. Everyone understood that we were only satisfied with victory. Misha Mudrik could have scored at the end of the first half, but, going one-on-one with Mamardashvili, he could not beat the opposing goalkeeper. In the second half, the hosts had more of the initiative. They escalated the situation at Trubin’s gate. Kvaratskhelia created a cool moment for himself when he hit the crossbar from a distance. And although our players did not succeed in many things in attack, how can we forget the moment in the 92nd minute when Gutsulyak and Nazarenko shot from close range, but Mamardashvili saved Georgia. If we take the basic statistical data, Willy Sagnol’s team looked better than our team.

In general, I think the score for this meeting is a draw. And I would also note the factor of relocation for our players Shakhtar and Dynamo. They have already traveled so much on trains and buses that it takes 20-24 hours to get to games. This is both physically and psychologically tiring.

— Who did you like best on our team?

— Everyone praises Mudrik, and for good reason. But I really liked the performance of 22-year-old Zabarny. While playing in the Premier League, he gained experience of competing with the best football players in the world. In Bournemouth, Ilya plays in every match, which allows him to improve his understanding of the game. Zabarny acted very calmly.

— What do you think of Artem Dovbik’s performance? Was the forward useful on the football field?

— Artem did a lot of rough work. I know that he is worried about a minor injury, but he doesn’t have enough time to take a break and recover. Last season, playing in Girona, he had 5 great passes from his partners per half. In Roma and the Ukrainian national team, Dovbik does not have such assists. Here lies the answer to your question.

— Why does our team take last place in its quartet in its League of Nations group, in confrontation with the Czech Republic, Albania and Georgia?

— Everyone says that the Ukrainian national team stands out in terms of names when compared with our rivals in the League of Nations. But that was also the case in the summer, at the European Championships. And then we saw the match between Ukraine and Romania, and what the score was. Everyone knows how to play football. Of course, the implementation of scoring chances is important, and luck is also necessary. In the same Georgian national team, only two players out of 25 players called up play in their championship. You can’t blame our guys for dedication, but you need to get involved in the fight from the first match, you can’t lose points.

— Whose contribution to the game is more significant – Shaparenko or Kvaratskhelia?

– Of course, Hwichi. The entire Georgian national team plays for him. In Serie A he beats the best defenders in Europe, and here he tried. Shaparenko has other tasks and he also tried.

— How do you like the actions of our other leader, Georgy Sudakov?

— Shakhtar’s midfielder is very technical and has good speed. He has a decent shot. I don’t know what its price consists of. Some say it costs 50-70 million euros. His inclinations and talent are visible to the naked eye. I can give you this example: Kvaratskhelia has been playing matches in Napoli and the national team for the last two years at an outstanding and excellent level. This is how Sudakov needs to act. Everyone says that the next transfer from the UPL to Europe will be Sudakov’s transfer. I think so too, let’s see how the situation develops in the future.

— You have been living in Batumi for quite a long time. What did you see outside the stadium?

— In Batumi they treat Ukrainians very well. Many of our citizens live here, whose territories were occupied by the aggressor. Since the full-scale invasion began, every day our citizens gather on the European Square in Batumi and hold a rally. They are all with our flags – local residents have no questions about them, everyone supports our guys.

A big football evening was held at the Ukrainochka restaurant. On Saturday, flags of Ukraine and Georgia were sold there, with the autographs of the players of the two teams. Among other lots were 8 tickets for the match with the autograph of Sergei Rebrov. For these rarities alone we were able to collect the equivalent of $2,000. This money will go to help ZSU. The Georgia-Ukraine match, in this restaurant, was announced as a brotherly and friendly match. I will say more: a match was held in Batumi between journalists from Ukraine and Georgia. So Uncle Khvichi Kvaratskhelia entered the field with a captain’s armband in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. That’s how things are.