’Kudrivka' central striker Artem Legostaev talked about his team’s goals in the current Ukrainian championship.
— Artem, how did you find the 'Zorya' vs. 'Dynamo' match?
— Initially, the teams didn’t create many chances, it was a rather sluggish game. The second half was much more interesting to watch, with some sharp moments, and 'Zorya' managed to equalize.
— Who were you rooting for?
— I was rooting for a draw.
— You scored your debut UPL goal precisely in a match against 'Zorya' (1:2). What stood out to you about the Luhansk team?
— I wouldn’t say that it was hard to play against them. 'Zorya' has a leader, Philip Budkovskyi, around whom the game is built. We had a moment to level the score but weren’t lucky.
— What didn’t work for 'Kudrivka' in the last match against 'Kryvbas' (1:3)?
— I think we lost the game in the transition phase. If we had scored our chance in the first minutes, the game might have turned out differently. Then Kryvbas scored, and we needed to open up, while the opponent plays very well on counterattacks.
— Kudrivka has already played eight matches in the UPL. Which game stood out the most positively, and which negatively?
— The first match against 'Oleksandriya' (3:1) stood out the most. It was a top game for 'Kudrivka,' probably one of the best of the season. The worst match was against 'Polissya' (0:2), where we didn’t resemble ourselves, didn’t create chances, and didn’t fully follow the coach’s instructions. The coach told us not to be afraid to play football and to meet 'Polissya' players on their half of the field. But we failed to do that, playing mainly number two and making mistakes. Probably, 'Polissya’s' status played its role, and we were a bit overwhelmed.
— 'Kudrivka' is a newcomer to the UPL. What goal did President Roman Solodarenko set for the team in this elite division?
— He said our goal is to win every match and to earn as many points as possible. There was no talk about the relegation zone.
— After eight rounds, 'Kudrivka' is in 11th place in the UPL. Is this a fair position for your team?
— If we are in this position, then we probably deserve it. But in some matches, we could have played better. Against the same 'Karpaty,' we were leading 2:0, had a numerical advantage but couldn’t maintain the winning score. Against 'Zorya,' we could have scored in the last minutes to equalize. Of course, we could have played better but could have done worse as well, so there’s nothing to complain about.
Andrii Piskun