Serhiy Sidorchuk: "I want this victory to become a kind of toggle for us, to turn on the team"

09.07.2020 11:35

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

Midfielder of Kyiv Dynamo and the national team of Ukraine Serhiy Sydorchuk praised victorious performance of his team in the final of the Cup of Ukraine-2019/2020. It will be recalled that in the decisive match of the tournament with Poltava's Vorskla, the white and blues won in a series of penalties, one of which was realized by the midfielder himself.

— Sergei, how do you feel after winning the final?

- Apparently, some exhaustion and fatigue. If it was the last game of the championship, and there was a vacation ahead, the mood would be completely different. And now there are three more matches in the calendar, we have tasks that we have not yet completed. Therefore, you should approach the next match with maximum concentration.

— Didn't you expect to miss the ball at the beginning of the match?

- I think that this goal hurt Vorskla more and helped us. The opponent stepped back, gave us opportunities. In the first half there were many moments, except for the goal scored, in the second we also played well, but somewhere we didn't have enough nerves. Still, this is the final of the Cup of Ukraine, for many - the first such game. I understand both Vorskla players and guys from my team, for whom this is a debut trophy at a serious level. I want him to be not the last, to be the first step to victory in the Ukrainian championship.

— What prevented Dynamo from realizing its moments?

- I think it is due to the nervousness caused by the latest results of the team. There is no such confidence. If everything was good in the standings of the championship, the game with Vorskla would end in regular time. When you realize that this is the only trophy that shines for the team in the season, then, of course, you worry.

— Will this victory give you the mood before the next matches?

- God forbid that it was so. I want it to become a kind of toggle for us, to turn on the team. We can really play well, but we lack self-confidence.

— You supported Mykolenko after his unsuccessful penalty…

- It was elementary human solidarity. Vitaliy is a young guy who has everything ahead of him - and not only in Ukrainian football. He is one of those players who deserves to move to the best clubs in Europe. I consider it a normal situation - many do not score penalties. In addition, Mykolenko should be thanked for the fact that he came out to play with an injury, on injections, worked 120 minutes and even scored a penalty. The unbeaten 11-meter is not equal to what he did.

— Were you worried before your post-match penalty?

- Of course. I have never hit the 11-meter in the final, I was worried, I understood that in case of failure, the series will end. But the good thing is that it ends well.