Ivan Kalyuzhny: "I was sure there would be no penalty"

Captain of "Metalist 1925" Ivan Kalyuzhny commented on an emotional match for UPL TV, in which the team defeated "Karpaty" 2:1 away:

— Congratulations on the victory! It was so long-awaited for "Metalist 1925". You were at the center of all events today. What triggered such emotions? Did you miss club football so much?

— Thank you for the congratulations. The referee needs to regulate these emotions. In the first half, their player with number 21 was running after me and pushing me in the back, and in the second half, he spat at me. No one noticed this, but I saw everything we were doing. I believe that referees should be competent in such moments because this player provokes the whole game. However, let it be at their discretion.

— What happened in the episode with Sych? I saw that later you hugged, so is the conflict resolved?

— He committed a foul, I fell. He hit me below the knee, it was painful for me, I was lying down, and he also received a yellow card. I don't understand why, as I didn't even appeal to the referee. But in the recent matches, referees react to any of my actions like this. As a captain, I never communicate in a rude manner. If I offended anyone - I apologize. But I can't understand why I receive unclear cards in every game.

— In the last minutes, there was an episode with a possible penalty. Were you sure it wouldn't be given, or were there doubts?

— No, I was sure there wouldn't be a penalty. The ball hit me in the stomach. But in this episode, the referee immediately awarded a penalty. He said my hand was raised up, but in fact, it was near my body. Such situations happen. Thank you for the referee going to check VAR. I immediately explained that the ball hit my stomach first, and then my elbow - that's how it turned out.

— And considering today's game, do you think the victory of "Metalist 1925" was deserved?

— I think so. We dedicate this victory to Andriy Viktorovych Polunin. May he rest in peace. We will miss him very much.