Ivan Lytvynenko: "This goal is for my son and wife"

Midfielder of "Metalist 1925" Ivan Lytvynenko - about the victory over "Poltava", support for Gadzhiyev, and who he dedicated his debut goal in UPL to:

— Your teammate scored his first goal for the new team today, and you scored your first goal at this level. I suspect it's even more emotional than for Yevhen (note: Pavlyuk)?

— Yes, it's very pleasant, I'm very happy to score. I've been working towards this for a long time, there were no emotions. When I dreamed of the first goal, I thought about how I would celebrate, I thought about it a thousand times, but I put in so much effort to win...This goal is for my family, who supports me, and it's all for them.

— How was the game overall, as the second goal happened towards the end of the match. The match didn't always go in your favor because it was quite challenging at times. How do you feel about it?

— It was a very tough match, we approached the opponent with great respect. "Poltava" is a good opponent, they play one-on-one, it's a tough field. So we really wanted to win today, but we understood that the game would be tough, and that's how it turned out. If we had scored that first goal, maybe it would have been a bit easier, but "Poltava" also had their moments. I believe we won deservedly because we created many more chances, but we respected "Poltava" because they are a very good opponent, so the game turned out like that.

— You started to block the opponent much better in the second half. What adjustments did you make at halftime, maybe the coach reorganized you in some way?

— No, we were tuned in for the full 90 minutes. It's just that there were some minor adjustments on how to break free from pressing or how to cover the opponent. But we were ready for the game because we prepared, we knew everything. We just believed that it would be beneficial, it would bring results, and that's how it turned out.

— You mentioned thinking about how to celebrate the goal. How will you celebrate the goal at home with your loved ones?

— I celebrated it with the letter "M" - it's for my son Mykhailo, this goal is for my son and wife. It's been three years since we've been together, so it's an important day for me. And today is even more important because of the goal I scored, so I dedicate it to my family.

— Before the match, you came out wearing t-shirts with Gadzhiyev's image. Can you tell us a bit about this initiative?

— He is our teammate, our brother, our friend. When someone like him or anyone else suffers such a serious injury, it's definitely a blow to the team. Even after the "Shakhtar" match, where we achieved a positive result, there were no emotions of celebration because Ramik's health is much more important. He will be fine, we are confident in that. He is currently undergoing surgery at a good clinic, we will wait for him and help him return as soon as possible. He is our partner, we always support him, always stay in touch, so everything will be fine for him. We decided to support him in this way, and this victory is also for him.