Oleksandr Zotov: Yurii Vernydub assembled a very strong team in Kryvyi Rih
For your attention, exclusive material from the official match program for the first playoff match of the Conference League "Kryvbas" - "Betis" Sevilla. Oleksandr Zotov, the two-time "bronze" captain of "Kryvbas", spoke exclusively about the legendary times for Kryvyi Rih football.
- Oleksandr Serhiyevich, you were the captain of that legendary "Damn it", who played in European Cups. Remember those times.
- At that time we had a very good team. And I'm not talking only about professional players, or about their physical form. First of all, we were united as one family. We were all friends outside the football field. At that time, the team was powerful in every sense, starting from the club president, the coaching staff and the players. Of course, it is a pity that this story ended so quickly.
But that friendly team remained in my memory. Yes, I was the captain at that time, but I believe that anyone in that team could have been the captain, everyone was worthy of that role. If we take into account the European Cups, then we had serious opponents, so, unfortunately, we were not lucky to go far. But it was an extraordinary experience for us to play against such star players.
- Matches with "By Parma» then for "Damn it» were like a dream?
- Then only after seeing the stellar lineup of "Parma", we understood that it would be a difficult confrontation. Remembering the first confrontation, when we played away, the players from "Parma" did not even understand where we were from and what we were capable of. Then they beat us, but hard. And when they arrived in Kryvyi Rih, the guys from "Parma" were set up differently, they played differently, because they understood that we are worthy opponents. Incredible fan support, a full stadium - everything was up to par. Unfortunately, the result was just not the way we wanted.
- Due to what was the power of that "Damn it"?
- Each player was an individual. On the football field, everyone was there for each other and showed their character. Even in such matches, when we lost, the team still played until the end, we never gave up, we fought unitedly until the end. Our strength was in unity and character.
- What are the chances of the current new one "Damn it» perform successfully in the European cup season?
- The war makes its adjustments. Constant departures, all this can negatively affect the team. Yuriy Vernydub assembled a very good team, I really like the current "Kryvbas". There are chances, I wish them success so that they reach as far as possible. If our team played at home, it would be a completely different story. After all, it is difficult to play two games on the road, but I hope that "Kryvbas" will still be able to go to the group stage of the European Cups.
- Who would be noted among the current leaders "Damn it"?
- I really like Denys Kuzyk. I played defensive midfielder, so in the middle of the field I would also mark Jihad Bizimana, also a very good player. The strong performance of Ivan Dibango, who has a great future, is also impressive.
Read the full version of the interview in the official match program for the game "Kryvbas" - "Betis" Seville You can order this and other programs by writing to Direct link to the official page of the Kryvbas FC Fan Shop.
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