Oleksandr Kemkin: Everyone is ready to give their absolute all for Kryvbas

Oleksandr Kemkin, the goalkeeper for Kryvyi Rih’s Kryvbas, answered questions from journalists.

- Who do you consider the best goalkeeper in Europe when it comes to saving penalties?

- There’s really no debate here - it has to be the Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez. I’d also highlight the Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

- And in Ukraine, who do you consider the best at saving penalties?

- That would definitely be Oleksiy Palamarchuk. Nazar Domchak also proved himself in this regard last season. Dmytro Riznyk is also excellent at this.

- Let’s turn to the Ukrainian Cup. Kryvbas has reached the tournament’s quarter-finals for the first time in 20 years. Were you aware of that?

- Yes. My teammates and I discussed it before the match. We had a strong desire to break this unfortunate streak. I’m glad we managed to achieve our goal - congratulations to our loyal fans!

- There has been a change of head coach at the club. Has Oleksandr Petrakov instilled confidence in the players?

- I felt comfortable under Patrick van Leeuwen as well, but that’s just football. Now, Oleksandr Vasylovych has brought a fresh energy to the team. The mindset is clear: we need to go out there and fight for the club’s badge, for our fans in the stands, and, of course, for the guys currently in the trenches. It is only thanks to our warriors that we are able to do what we love.

- There are quite a few foreign players at Kryvbas these days. How does communication work?

- Everything is fine in that regard. Almost all the foreign players speak English, as do the Ukrainians. We also have an interpreter for Spanish.

- Which of the foreign players takes the greatest interest in the situation in Ukraine?

- No one avoids the topic, as they live in our country and are concerned. That said, they are all professionals and are ready to give their absolute best for Kryvbas.

- Overall, what are your team’s goals for the current championship?

- It’s quite straightforward. We really want to move out of the relegation zone and climb as high as possible in the league table.