Captain and forward of Luhansk Zarya, Filipp Budkovsky summed up yesterday\'s match with Kyiv Dynamo (2:2) in the 21st round of the Ukrainian championship, in which he became the author of the first goal for his team.
Filipp Budkovsky. Photo — FC Zarya— In the match against one of the Ukrainian giants, you opened the scoring right at the beginning. Can you recall how it all happened?
— It was the first minutes of the game against Dynamo, we intercepted the ball. Our midfielders literally pulled it out from the opponent and passed it to the left flank to Juninho. He made a good cross, and I ran in, struck from about fifteen meters. It turned out well — low, towards the far corner.
— If before the match with Dynamo you were told it would end in a draw, how would you have reacted?
— We entered the game with thoughts of victory. And if we were told we would draw... That’s of course not bad either, but a team that strives to reach European cups only steps onto the field for victory. Otherwise, it cannot be.
— During the match, Zarya was leading, but still conceded a goal, which led to a draw. Could that goal have been avoided?
— This is football, and in yesterday's match, there was a very open game with many scoring chances. They arose at both ends of the field. That’s why it turned out to be a fighting draw!
— In the September match against Dynamo, played during the first round, Zarya lost 0:2. Did the then Kyiv team look more convincing than this time?
— I would say this: back then we were just developing our game connections and didn’t know each other well. It’s a whole different matter now: time has passed, we went through training camps where we developed combinations and established connections, and started feeling each other better. After that, we became even more than a whole!
— Are there increased bonuses for a draw with the leader?
— Well, bonuses are a question better asked to the management.
— How do the tournament indicators of Zarya correspond to its current capabilities?
— It’s still too early to say anything, as there are many games ahead. So we’ll see at the end of the tournament distance. Of course, we want to rise as high as possible to occupy top positions.
— How is it working under Mladen Bartulovic?
— Mladen is a young coach who is already showing progress in working with the team and delivers results. Therefore, I would say: it’s good to work.
— Your team has gradually made up for what was lost in the first round and has now resumed chances for a high place. Has the club already set its targets?
— Zarya is a team that year after year qualifies for European cups, so of course, we want to achieve this by the results of the current season. But everything will depend only on us.
Vyacheslav Kulchytsky
