Photo FC Spartak Moscow official website
- Did you like the Saturday game with the army team? Igor Shalimov, for example, said that he was not happy with the game.
- The match was spectacular. In any case, no less beautiful than our previous meetings with CSKA. It’s just that the game was divided into two series: in the first we fought back ... no, we didn’t fought back, resisted the attacks of the army, and in the second we played well and scored a goal. After the break, we seemed to be replaced. We entered the field and began to play as it should, even the coaches then told us: “Why didn’t they do this from the very beginning”?
“What did you answer them?”
- What is football - you never know how your opponent will surprise you. It is not always clear how to seize an advantage if you did not take it immediately. But the result is still not bad. Drawn away, we stayed in first place. Previously, when we lost points with CSKA Moscow, this meant that we could not catch them. And now the draw was in our favor.
- And what did Fedotov tell you during the break?
- That we began to play better and need to be added. He asked us in no case not to cling to our gates, but to go forward. And at the end of the break, he again reminded us of the principle of this meeting: they say, remember that you are playing with CSKA, and that we have been preparing for this match for a long time.
- On the right flank you had to play against Yuri Zhirkov. It was difficult to?
- Still would! But not only I played against him, but also Bystrov. More precisely, it was Zhirkov who opposed Bystrov. After all, Yura works out on the entire flank, including on the defensive, and Volodya often ran into him when he tried to attack around his edge. By the way, I overslept Zhirkov only once. Remember, he broke through the flank into the penalty area, gave it to Krasic, but he punched him point-blank above the gate? At that moment I was too carried away by the attack, Sabitov had to insure me, but we misunderstood each other a little, and Zhirkov took advantage of this. In other cases, acting against CSKA midfielder, we were not mistaken.
- Why this season the most unpredictable and fun games of Spartak were three meetings with Zenit?
- In the match against St. Petersburg there was a lot of struggle throughout the field, just a real cabin. But such a course of the game does not even depend on teams, but on individual players. Probably, the Zenit players wanted to play merrily, which they did. Yes, and we do not mind joking, if only to remain winners. In general, the games with CSKA and Zenit were equally important.
- I know you went to the matches of the Russian national team at the world hockey championship.
- Yes, with Bystrov and Rebko. We are the main hockey fans at Spartak.
- And with the Finns, our team played just during the match CSKA - Spartak.
- When I returned home and turned on the TV, there was already a third period. I immediately realized that something was wrong. Ours somehow moved uncertainly, were mistaken. And when I was just about to have dinner, they missed this unfortunate puck in overtime. I forgot about dinner and began to call Volodka and Leha Rebko, who were also out. The impression of a good game with CSKA was spoiled.
- I thought you immediately pounced on food after such a difficult game.
“Just not.” When I return home, on the contrary, I have long had no appetite. Parents say: “Eat, I’m tired after the game,” but I refuse. Usually I first communicate with them, and then somehow the appetite itself comes.
Vadim SINAEV