Oleksandr Demchenko: "Sidorchuk is a strong player who leads his club's game

Oleksandr Demchenko, the midfielder of Chornomorets Odesa, has shared his impressions of the game vs Dynamo Kyiv (3:2) in the 26th round of the Ukrainian championship, in which he wrote the double.

- Before the game with Dynamo on May 13, did you know that this is a super-principled opponent for Chornomorets?

- I had not heard about this nuance when I joined Chornomorets in February. But before the meeting in Kyiv on May 13, Roman Grigorchuk told the team about the history of the confrontation and how principal opponent Dynamo is for Chornomorets. The game was very emotional, we quickly scored two goals, the hosts quickly equalized in the beginning of the second half, but we still managed to win.

The fact that FC Dynamo had the 96th Birthday added to the spice. The opportunity to not let Kyiv celebrate well also fired us up before the game. The motivation for the match was very strong.

- By the way, it was after the match with you that Dynamo lost mathematical chances for the championship. Is it pleasant?

- We learnt about it after the meeting. However, we have our own fight, we need to move away from the relegation zone, and any victory is primarily three points, which are very important now.

After the match, I learned a statistical nuance from history - the last time Chornomorets beat Dynamo was back in 2013. And then, too, the Odessians spoilt the Bilo-Syni's holiday. The Kyivians were defeated on 11 August on their lawn on the day of the 90th anniversary of the NSC Olimpiyskiy opening.

- Chornomorets started the game powerfully and by the 11th minute the score was 2-0. Was it influenced by the strong spirit in the match?

- Roman Iosipovych said before the game that we do not always start well. It takes us a while to get going before we get a result. The coach said this before the pre-game warm-up and reminded us again after it. In the game with Dynamo we reversed this trend and created an immediate advantage. We were pumped up for the game from the opening minutes.

- You were trained in Shakhtar's academy. Are the games with Dynamo crucial for you as well?

- I was very young there, I was about 13-14 years old. Back then, I really supported Shakhtar, which means I considered Dynamo the antagonist. But now it is in the past.

- The first two goals against Dynamo were scored by Vitaliy Ermakov, left back, and you, holding midfielder, with headers from the centre of the penalty area. Did you find out Dynamo's weak spot? Did you open the defence by having non-core players burst into the centre-forward's area of work?

- It is not that complicated. We all have to join the attack. Ermakov also scored for Zorya with a header from the centre of the penalty area. When I made it 2-0 in the game with Dynamo, there was an attack via the flank and the centre-forward must be switched on at such moments. Badibanga made an excellent cross from the right, I only had to, as they say, put my head.

We reinforce each other, if Ermakov goes into another side's penalty area looking for chances, I can watch his area. The coaching staff positively evaluates our connections and the fact that any of us goes in search of fortune in the attack.

"Kolos" on May 3, I scored from the goalkeeper's area altogether, catching a rebound from the goalkeeper. It is the job of a central midfielder to participate in all phases of attack.

- Roman Grigorchuk practises individual pressing in the team. Who did you play against on Saturday night?

- Most of all I played against Dynamo captain Serhii Sydorchuk. Oleksandr Andriyevskyi was less often. My midfield partner Orest Kuzik and I sometimes changed players.

- How was he Sidorchuk?

- It was very interesting to test myself against the captain of Dynamo and the national team player, whose matches I have seen many times. He is a strong player who leads the game of his club.

- The 11th minute, and you already have a 2-0 lead over Dynamo Kyiv. How to maintain the advantage in such an opening?

- It was not a question of relaxing. Dynamo have very skillful players, who instantly punish for the slightest error. We just went on with our game, defended carefully and looked for chances to score.

If we had sat on our own goal and started keeping the score, I am sure we would have lost to Dynamo.

- Dynamo quickly equalized after the break. The Kyiv team scored in the 53rd and 55th minutes. What happened at the beginning of the second half?

- At the break Hryhorchuk's tactics were the same as before. We play the same football, stay focused in defense and constantly look for opportunities to attack. We have not yet had a detailed analysis of our conceded goals.

Once the scoreline was 2-2, the game was on a head-to-head approach. We could have won 4-2 and lost 2-3. The meeting gave me a lot of emotions, both negative when we conceded and, of course, positive. We scored more and won in the end. I hope that the audience enjoyed the match. Both teams attacked from the first to the last minute, but this time it was "Chernomorets" that was stronger. Thanks to VSU that we basically have the opportunity to play football and please our fans.

- The match against Dynamo was the best in your career?

- Only in terms of performance. Still, it is not every day you score two goals, one of them winning against Dynamo. But in terms of quality of play, it was just one of my good games. In general, there is still work to do.

- You beat Dynamo 3:2 in the second round, with Shakhtar the Pitmen drew 2:2, Dnipro 1 lost in a tough game 1:2. Of the leaders, only Zorya were relatively confident in beating the Odessans 3-1 this spring. What has this got to do with?

- Simply because Zorya are a strong team with great performers. I would even say that I like the game of Van Leeuwen's team the most in the UPL. There`s no particular secret, it`s just that on April 29 the Luhansk team turned out stronger.

- Who will win the championship?

- It is impossible to predict now. Three teams are contenders for the victory, with four rounds left. The main thing is that there will be intrigue in the UPL until the last game day. And at the bottom of the table there is an even more desperate struggle.

Anton Terekhov