Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Nasonov shared his impressions of playing for Pakhtakor Tashkent, whose colors he played last season. Recall that this club from the capital of Uzbekistan is currently coached by the former striker of Dynamo Kyiv Maxim Shatskikh.
Alexander Nasonov- Last season, you became the champion of Uzbekistan as part of Pakhtakor Tashkent. Share your emotions from winning the title.
- Emotions are very strong, it is beyond words. For the first time in my career, I won the national championship. Even cried a little. I felt joy and happiness.
- How competitive is the championship in Uzbekistan? Was it difficult to win the title?
- Everything was decided in the last round. Three teams competed for the championship. Any misfire could solve everything. Last season, all teams in the championship of Uzbekistan were leveled. It's hard to play with everyone, even with the team that comes in last place. There were some sensations in almost every tour.
Pakhtakor is an irritant for everyone in Uzbekistan. As we say that you don’t have to tune in to Dynamo or Shakhtar, so it’s the same with Pakhtakor. Everyone wanted to take points away from us, everyone had incredible motivation. Therefore, it was difficult to win the championship of Uzbekistan.
- How about the attendance of matches in Uzbekistan?
— Many fans come to important matches. If we play a derby, a full stadium can come, and then we accept an outsider - and, figuratively speaking, there are a hundred people in the stands. We played on the road with Navbakhor - the fans shouted so that we did not hear each other on the field.
- Can you compare the level of the championships of Ukraine and Uzbekistan?
- If I played in the last year in the Ukrainian Premier League - I could compare. And since before leaving I played in the second league of the Ukrainian championship, it would be wrong to compare it with the major league of Uzbekistan.
There is a championship there. There are fast and technical football players. But it seems to me that Ukrainian teams are slightly stronger in terms of tactics and organization of the game.
- How did you work under the guidance of Pakhtakor head coach Maxim Shatskikh?
— I liked everything. I understood all his requirements. Only positive emotions remained from work under his leadership.
Maxim Alexandrovich adheres to attacking football so that the opponent cannot leave his half of the field. Before each game, he gave us this instruction: "Score two or three goals in the first half and rest." But it didn't always work out that way.
- Did you have the opportunity to stay at Pakhtakor for the next season?
- Did not have. My contract with Pakhtakor ended and there was no proposal to extend it.
In financial terms, everything was solid, everything was paid on time. But, as far as I know, now the club has minor problems - the sponsor, according to unofficial information, has reduced funding.
- What surprised you in Uzbekistan in terms of everyday life?
“It seemed to me that the people there are peculiar. Maybe a little lazy, but kind at the same time. Uzbekistan is Asia, and it is felt that the country is still a little behind Europe - in terms of cars, shops. In terms of products, there are practically no imports from Europe, basically everything is brought from Russia.
— Are they following the war in Ukraine in Uzbekistan?
- They are watching, but they show Russian TV channels. All Russian-speakers watch them, and then you yourself understand what they are saying.
It used to be that I was going in a taxi, and the driver found out that I was Ukrainian and started telling me that we had only Nazis. I objected to him, saying that we don’t have such a thing at all.
Andrey Kaplun
