One of the heroes of the 4th round of the Ukrainian championship was Oleksandriya forward Oleksandr Filippov, who scored a hat-trick in the 4-3 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk. It is no coincidence that he was included in the symbolic team of the past three elite game days.
- To beat Shakhtar, and to score four goals against them, is a rare occurrence. How did you feel after the game?
- Indeed, it is not possible to beat Shakhtar Donetsk every time. Especially in such a dramatic game, when you lose 0-2 during the match and eventually pull out a victory. This is worth a lot. Therefore, the feeling is only pleasant. Especially when you consider that it was Oleksandriya's first home game, it was a national holiday - Independence Day, and there were a lot of spectators. I thank them very much for their support, for their faith in us. We did our best to please both ourselves and our fans.
- During the match, your team was 0-2 down. Didn't you have a subconscious thought that it would be unrealistic to make up for such a difference in a game with the champion?
- Of course, when you lose by two goals, and even more so to a team like Shakhtar, you naturally involuntarily think that it's all difficult and unrealistic. But it's good that we believed in ourselves and continued to bend our line and press. Not everything worked out for us, though, especially in the first 25 minutes when Shakhtar scored the second goal. Not everything worked in the defense, midfield, and attack. It was good that we were able to get back into the game before the end of the first half, and adjustments were made to the game during the break. This allowed us to rectify the situation - to score two goals and snatch the victory.
- Have you ever scored a hat-trick before?
- No, this is my first one at such a serious level. I had one or two hat-tricks before, but at the amateur level, when I took my first steps in football, playing in Donetsk for the regional championship.
- Have you counted the number of "doubles" in your career ?
- I did not count. But there were enough of them. At the same time, every time something was missing to score the third goal. It happened that I was replaced or there were no favorable moments. Or maybe I didn't have the desire, which is very bad. All the more reason to be happy about my Saturday's achievement.
- Remember how each of your three goals was born...
- The first goal came from our pressure. We covered Shakhtar well in their half of the field - something we failed to do in the first minutes of the match. In general, we forced the Donetsk team to make a mistake. I "read" the pass to the goalkeeper and took advantage of the situation: I threw the ball and scored into an empty net. The second goal, which I scored from the penalty spot, was preceded by our charge for the second half. There was a quick attack on our left flank, then a good pass came from there and the ball hit the defender's hand. The referee awarded an eleven-meter penalty, which I converted. Of course, I would have liked to take the penalty a little more confidently, but the main thing is that the ball is in the net. As for the third goal, I can say that the guys played well in the ball selection in their half of the field - compactly, as the coaching staff asked. When I saw the ball rolling towards me, my first thought was to keep it. When you are in your own half of the field, there is usually always a defender of the opposing team in front of you. But it so happened that Shakhtar's players failed at that moment, and I saw the free space in front of me and ran forward. And then I managed to cover the ball well with my body from the pursuing defender and hit the ball after going one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
- Do you have any special secret when taking a penalty kick?
- There is no secret. It's just that before the kick I try to mentally choose the angle to which I will hit and look at the goalkeeper. Very rarely do I change my mind and the idea of where I'm going to hit. If I've made up my mind and set my mind to it, I hit it there.
- What did Ruslan Rotan say in the locker room during the break in the match?
- Of course, the conversation was a little bit heated, because we shouldn't have given such a gap - especially to Shakhtar's players. Losing 0-2 is, of course, difficult. Therefore, after such a score, it takes even more effort to win back. We had to go forward and look for our chances. It's good that we scored two goals, and then during the break we made adjustments to our defensive actions and how to press properly so that the Donetsk team's players were in a time crunch. We realized that we could change the course of the match. The main thing was to come out even more energized, more mobile and use those moments that would definitely come.
- When did you feel that you could beat Shakhtar?
- Before the game, I realized that Shakhtar was the national champion. However, you can play with all teams - due to organization, compactness, desire, dedication and belief in your abilities. Of course, there is excitement, just like before any other game. But we went out on the field with the same belief in ourselves, especially since we had to play the first match in front of our fans. We believed that we could make a surprise.
- Does the final score of 4-3 on the scoreboard indicate Oleksandriya's strength or Shakhtar's weakness in a particular match?
- I wouldn't put it that way. In this game, as I said, we were charged. I saw it. We wanted more, tried harder. Due to these qualities, as well as faith and luck (you can't do without it in football), we were able to achieve a positive result. At the same time, each of us realized that Shakhtar had a difficult start to the season, so we had an opportunity to take advantage of it.
- Were there a lot of congratulations after Saturday's match?
- Not much more than after ordinary victories or goals scored. But be that as it may, there were indeed a lot of congratulations after the victory over the champion, and even the first hat-trick in my career. From family, friends and relatives. I am grateful to them all. This moment will remain in my memory.
- Three matches - three wins and leadership in the table. It's a lot to take on, isn't it?
- We started the season well: three victories over difficult opponents, two of which were away. It was very difficult against LNZ and Zorya, but success in these matches showed that Oleksandriya has a team spirit. The main thing in this situation is not to relax and rest on our laurels, but to continue working even harder. During the preparation for the season, we worked hard and diligently, having passed the training camp productively. Therefore, now is not the time to slow down, but rather to pick up the pace, continuing to work in the most serious way. This is the only way to achieve success.
- Have you earned an extra day off?
- No, everything goes according to the usual schedule, which is scheduled every day. One day off is enough for the guys to catch their breath, relax, spend time with their families and enjoy themselves. And during this week, they will prepare for an equally important and difficult home game against Kolos Kovaliv.
- How is it working under Ruslan Rotan's leadership?
- It's quite comfortable to work with Ruslan Petrovych, as he is a coach who understands the game and has his own approach. He explains a lot to us, and we have a lot of theory and practice. It is clear that Ruslan Rotan has his own ideas aimed at developing both the individual improvement of the players and the team game. We understand what to do on the football field and strive for maximum results. In this regard, everything is great.
- Did you quickly settle in in Oleksandriia?
- Yes, I did. After all, I have come to Oleksandriia before - both with Desna Chernihiv and Dnipro-1. It's not a very big city, so it doesn't take a lot of time to get used to it. Everything in Oleksandriia is compact, everything is close by. The city is small, but cozy and beautiful. We live at the club base together with the guys. In our free time, we can go downtown for a coffee, relax and chat.
- Are you going to show off your hat-trick to your teammates?
- Not only for the hat-trick, but also for the first goal. All these goals were my debut appearances for the new team, so I will definitely show off in front of the guys. This is all their merit, because we play as a team, not individually.
- By the will of the calendar, in the next three rounds, Oleksandriya will play teams from Kyiv region that are not impressive at the start of the championship - Kolos, Obolon and Livyi Bereh. In such situations, underestimation of opponents can often play a cruel joke...
- We don't pay attention to tournament affairs only, because everyone has bad starts and unsuccessful beginnings of the championship. This is not so important for us. We see the strength of the opponent and know that the closest one, Kolos Kovaliv, is a very experienced and good team. At the moment, although they are not showing results, they are an organized team that concedes few goals and knows how to create chances. Therefore, we expect a game as tough as the one against Shakhtar. We will be preparing for it and adjusting properly.
Viacheslav Kulchytskyi