In each round of the First League, Sport Arena, together with the PFL, determines the best player. This time the hero is FSK Mariupol winger Nikita Teplyakov
Since May, FSK Mariupol has not won with a crushing score and, to be honest, the visit to Kremin, a club with a similar personnel philosophy, did not foretell this. The visitors, with the fastest double of the season for the entire First League, defeated the hosts, which led to the latter’s coaching resignation. And the solo was performed by the winger, who took part in every goal scored.
The hero of the ninth round in the First League, Nikita Teplyakov, shared with Sport Arena his impressions of the victory over Kremin (3:0).
“I’m happy that I won this honorable nomination for the first time,” the 22-year-old football player admitted in an interview with Sport Arena. – This motivates me to progress and reach new heights. I will do everything to bring as much benefit to the team as possible.
– On the eve of the confrontation with Kremlin, your team had significant losses: Kharzhevsky and Mamrosenko, Goshkoderya and Lityuk could not help. However, it seems that the coaching staff managed to replace them adequately. Does this mean that FSK Mariupol is not experiencing a personnel shortage?
“It’s a shame that the guys couldn’t play.” I wish them to recover as soon as possible. I believe that we have equivalent replacements for each position. Everyone strives to play and achieve a positive result.
– How difficult was it to adapt to artificial turf? Did you get into the game right away?
– It’s always difficult to play on artificial turf, especially when it’s hot outside. Artificial and natural turf lawns are significantly different, but we are all professionals and must be prepared for any conditions. I think we adapted quite quickly.
– In this match you quickly switched from defense to attack. Was this a coaching setup?
“It was important to quickly deliver the ball into the final third of the field. We saw that their full-backs rise high and do not always have time to return. It was precisely these free zones that we had to run into.
– In the middle of the first half, after Oleinik’s pass, you opened the scoring. Do you play such flank combinations? Do you feel that interaction improves with each tour?
— Of course, we pay a lot of attention to flank play, playing different combinations. I’m happy that one of these attacks ended in a goal. I feel that the interaction is improving with each tour. We are trying to make everything automatic.
— Within three minutes you picked up the ball on the left flank, moved to the center and shot into the far corner. Remember this episode? Did you enjoy the goal?
– I received the ball on the corner of the penalty area, but saw that the defender was covering my working left. I decided to move inside and shoot with my right hand. Happy that everything worked out perfectly in this episode.
– You have written your name in the history of the current championship, because, according to Sport Arena’s calculations, you scored the fastest double so far. Who congratulated you on this achievement?
“I didn’t even know about it, but I’m very pleased.” Parents, friends, and teammates congratulated me. I am grateful to everyone for their support and faith.
— What instructions did you receive from the coaching staff during the break? How difficult was it functionally after playing on artificial turf?
– It was important not to press against your own goal and continue to follow your line. Our pressing worked very effectively, so there was no point in changing anything. It was functionally difficult for the first 15 minutes, but then we adapted and there were no problems with it. In the second half of the match, we played reliable defense and did not allow the opponent to score. We try to keep a clean sheet in every match.
— What, first of all, is the secret of Mariupol’s success at the beginning of this season?
— It should be noted the dedication of each player in the training process. Each member of our team is a professional striving to progress. In addition, we understand each other well, we know that he needs us as a coach.
— How interesting is Oleg Krasnoperov’s training process? The main focus of the training is working with the ball?
– I like everything, I have no complaints. Attention is focused on ball control, as well as on quick transitions from defense to attack. It’s nice when you mostly work with the ball and not just run.
– Does the club have ambitions and potential to compete for the top 3?
“I think we can do this.” The main thing is to win every match and everything will be fine. Now we are preparing for the match against the second team of Group B – Victoria. They are a very good opponent, but we are aiming for three points.

BLITZ
- Born in Korosten, Zhytomyr region
- Pupil – UFK (Kharkov)
- The first trainers were Anatoly Petrovich Zhuravsky and Alexander Vasilyevich Vygovsky
- Favorite club – Barcelona
- Favorite Player: Hakimi
- Goal in football? I strive to play at a high level
Source: Sportarena

I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.