Ivan Kalyuzhny: "I am very pleased that the score turned out in our favor"

Post-match flash comment from the captain of "Metalist 1925" Ivan Kalyuzhny for "UPL-TV" after the victorious match against "Oleksandriya", in which he opened the scoring:

— What are your emotions from the match at this stadium, which is definitely not unfamiliar to you?

— The emotions are positive. It's nice to return to Oleksandriya. It was my second home. I had good years of my career here, I am immensely grateful to all Oleksandriya fans for their warm welcome, for how they supported me when I was a player of the local team. Now, as a player of "Metalist 1925", they also treat me very well, and I am very grateful for that. The emotions are very positive, we got the first victory and I hope that this is the path to success.

— Not only the first victory, but also the first goals, four at once. Did you expect such a result in favor of your team before the game?

— The most important thing for us was to win. To score one more goal than the opposing team. We understood where we were going, because I played in this team, with these players. There are very qualified players here, so we expected a tough game. The first half showed this, as there were two equal teams on the field. However, in the second half, probably thanks to our quick goal, we managed to change the course of the match. I am very pleased that the score ended in our favor.

— The "Oleksandriya" you saw today, is it similar to the team you played in?

— Yes, there are still some developments that we had with another coach. But now there is a new coaching staff here, I don't know what they are building and how they want to play. This is their "kitchen" already. The game is similar, but there are differences.

— Did you give hints to your teammates on how to play against this or that opponent? Did you share secrets from your side?

— Yes, we gave hints on the field about those whom I know well, about their strong qualities and how to play against them. We also have qualified players who know what to do.