Hero of the 18th round of the First League Evpak: Victoria strives to go as far as possible in the Ukrainian Cup and wants to win the “Knockout” group

The final round of 2024 took place in difficult conditions: late autumn snowfalls and prolonged air raids led to delays in most matches, and some did not take place at all. But the match between Victoria and YUKSA had to be postponed for several days, and instead of Sumy, it had to be held at the out-of-town base of FC LNZ (Cherkassy).

However, the wait was worth it! Victoria played the brightest and most effective football this season. And the real hero of this fight left no doubts for the jury of Sport Arena and the PFL, who determine the VIP personality of each round.

The best player of the 18th round of the First League, Maxim Evpak, shared with Sport Arena his emotions from Victoria’s crushing victory (5:1), and also focused on the team’s ambitious plans for the second part of the season.

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

– To be honest, I didn’t expect that I could win such competition. Of course, I am very pleased and this indicates that I am moving in the right direction. Thanks to my teammates and coaching staff.

– The match against YUKSA was supposed to take place on Sunday, but it was postponed to Wednesday. How did this affect the team? Maybe a few extra days of preparation even helped?

“I can’t say that it didn’t affect us at all, but we took it calmly.” We were determined to end the year on a positive note. In my opinion, these few extra days helped the team prepare better for the match.

– From a tournament point of view, the game didn’t decide anything, but how important was it for you to win from a psychological point of view?

– It’s always nice to win. This was a difficult part of the season for us and we wanted to end it on a positive note so that we could go on vacation in a good mood. We wanted to please our own fans, because we don’t have the opportunity to play at home.

– What did the coach focus on before the game? What strengths did YUKSA note?

– They said that YUKSA plays with individually strong players, and it is necessary to play defense as responsibly as possible. Functionally, YUKSA is well prepared, and it was important for us to maintain a high tempo throughout the match.

– There were almost no chances in the first half. Did the frosty weather affect the nature of the match? How quickly did you manage to adapt to the lawn?

– I can’t say that the quality of the game in the first half was affected by the weather. Both teams played as carefully as possible, understanding the cost of a mistake. They adapted to the lawn quickly, because it was of good quality.

– At the end of the first half, you were the first to catch the ball after Fedotov’s save and opened the scoring in the match. Do you agree that the goal in the locker room is one of the key moments of the match?

– It’s always unpleasant to be allowed into the locker room and this could not but affect the opponent. I am very glad that with my goal I helped the team open the scoring and this gave us even more confidence. We left for a break in a good mood.

– At the beginning of the second half you earned a penalty. Remember this episode?

– The match resumed after an air raid and there was a lot of confusion. After a hint from a teammate, he put pressure on him and forced his opponent to make a mistake. He rushed into the penalty area at speed and felt a touch from Makhnev. I understood that this was a violation of the rules and the referee should award a penalty.

– In the 73rd minute, after Lebedenko’s cross, you headed into the far corner and scored your second goal of the match. How comfortable are you in fighting on the second floor or is that not your strong suit?

– I think that every striker should be able to play on the second floor. Although this is not my strong point, I am trying to progress. They pay great attention to this at every training session.

– Double and earned penalties. Can we say that this is your best match recently? In general, are you satisfied with your performance in this part of the season?

– Indeed, this was my best match, but there is no limit to perfection. I hope that I will play even better in the spring, although overall I am pleased with myself. There were episodes where I could have played well, but it didn’t work out…

– The team scored a record number of goals in this match – five. Did you expect such results from yourself?

– We didn’t expect such a number of goals from ourselves. We were aiming for victory and are happy that we were able to score three points. We were satisfied with the implementation in the match against YUKSA.

– Victoria reached the quarterfinals of the Cup, but did not make it to the championship group. How would you rate this part of the season for the team? More positive or negative?

– Our task was to qualify for the championship group and we are disappointed that we could not finish this part of the season in the top 4. I think that our team is still progressing and improving with every game. We will be gearing up for the spring part of the season to please the fans with our results.

– Maybe you already know your plans for the off-season? What tasks will the team face in the second part of the season?

– The team went on vacation after the match with YUKSA. So far we have not been informed about the collection date. As for the tasks, we strive to go as far as possible in the Ukrainian Cup and want to win the “Knockout” group.

Hero of the 18th round of the first stage of the First League. Illustration pfl.ua

BLITs

• Born in the town of Manevichi
• Pupil – KYUSSH Champion
• The first coach is Alexander Anatolyevich Rozgon. This is the only coach who believed in me and continues to support me
• Favorite player: Cristiano Ronaldo
• Favorite teams? I follow Real Madrid and Manchester City
• Goal in football? I want to play for the Ukrainian national team and in European competitions

Yaroslav Krokha