Ukrainian midfielder of the Hungarian Pushkas Academy Artem Favorov commented on his decisive goal against Ararat Armenia in the return match of the 3rd qualifying round of the Conference League, told what he thinks about the meeting with Italian Fiorentina in the next stage of the tournament, as well as the confrontation with Dnipro-1, which never took place.
Artem Favorov- On Thursday, you scored your first European Cup goal in your career. It was dramatic, 94 minutes in, and if not for this goal, the game would have gone to overtime... What did you feel right after?
- I saw that it was flying well, I knocked it over the wall, the trajectory was good, I thought "maybe it will fly". And it did. I realized that it was the last minutes and it was very important to score, and if we did, we would not let go of the result, especially since we were playing with a power play.
- I understand you got a yellow card for taking off your shirt. Did it get hot?
- Yes, it was. I ' d been pumping my abs for a month, so I had to show them. But no, I didn't really know what to do after the goal, so I did everything for joy. At least I didn't take off my shorts (Smiles).
- Did the team and coach thank you in any way?
- Everyone congratulated me, said it was a good shot. They joked, saying, "Thank you for not playing an extra 30 minutes in overtime, because it would have been hard. Moreover, we still have a game on Sunday. It was very stuffy, dry air, it was difficult in terms of weather.
- Do you think that after this goal you will play in the middle in the next matches?
- In general, I would always like to play in the middle, regardless of the goals. I don't think that goals should influence the place in the lineup. A goal is a nice bonus, but it's important how a player performs in every match in general. On the other hand, of course, I really want to play more. But at least that's the way it is. My task is to work.
- You scored from the penalty spot. Do you practice such shots in training?
- Like in all teams, we stay after training, we are still working on it. Someone makes two touches from outside the penalty area, someone makes a series of shots. I also do this after almost every training session.
- It was a goal against Ukrainian goalkeeper Danylo Kucher. Did you know each other before?
- Not before, but we met after the first match in Armenia. We exchanged a few words, asked how things were going, and that was it. Last time we were in a hurry to catch a plane, this time they were upset, so we smiled at each other and wished them luck.
- Your next opponent is Fiorentina. Have you discussed it with your partners?
- Oh yes, definitely! We already knew that we would go to Italy to eat delicious pasta, just kidding (smiles). In fact, people call me and ask if it will be a good training for Fiorentina. I answer: "We'll see".
It's all a joke, but in fact, last season the team played in the Conference League final. They are a serious club, a serious team, everyone knows their transfers, their goals, and what places they are fighting for in Serie A. For me personally, it is very interesting to play with such a great team. In terms of psychology, I think it's even easier. You have nothing to lose - you want to test your own strength, what you are worth against such rivals, what you should strive for. After all, at any age, at any stage of your career, you need to progress and learn something.
- What do you feel the day before: fear or excitement?
- No, there is definitely no fear. On the contrary, I am personally more excited to come, to feel the atmosphere of the stadium, it is interesting to play with such a team at such a stadium.
- At the previous stage, you were supposed to play against Dnipro-1. Did the Hungarians ask you how it was possible for the team to get into the European Cup and then cease to exist?
- Yes, they asked every two days: will there be a game or not? I was tired of answering that I didn't know. I read the news from Ukraine, and they were constantly writing "will", "won't", "will", "won't". I wrote to a friend, Sanya Filippov, and he wrote back: "Tia, I don't know, most likely it won't be, because we haven't even been gathered." But it works differently in Europe-they believe official sources, and we were waiting for an official letter from Dnipro-1 until the last minute. Although, I think everyone understands the situation in Ukraine and realized that something like this was possible. The guys were not surprised.
- Were they happy?
- Well, of course they were, because everyone watched last year when Dnipro-1 played Spartak Trnava, because we have a lot of Czechs in the team, some Slovaks, and realized that it was a good team. And Ukrainian football and Ukrainian players have a really good level. So, on the one hand, we were happy. But on the other hand, you always want to play and win a sporting game.
Kirill Krutogorov
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