Vitalie Bordian

- Vitalie, how difficult was it to play today?

- Very difficult! Probably right now you see happiness on our faces, but these are the only emotions we can express. We are, practically, drained. In any case, a second game is waiting for us, so it is too early to celebrate.

- It looked like you are in a good physical and playing shape.

- Yes, I agree. All of this was possible only thanks to correct training cycles created by our coaching staff. We did not overload ourselves and were trying to get in shape and prepare for the season using games. That is why we don’t look off balance right now.

- At what moment did you realize you could win?

- We always knew about that and the game simply confirmed our opinion.

- How was playing on the left defensive flank?

- OK, I don’t see any problems with that. Opponents were constantly pressing, but I am always ready to play at the position specified by the coach.

Valentyn Sliusar

- Valentyn, please share your impressions from the game.

- In principle, I am glad we won, but we have one more match ahead of us. The head coach has asked us to forget the score of this game right away. In Kharkiv we will come out on the pitch as if the first match has ended at 0:0.

- In one of the moments you missed the goal when shooting from close distance…

- Probably you, just like the referee, did not see that defender was the first to reach the ball and kick it out. I think I would have made the shot, if not for that.

- How do you feel after painful collision? We see your head is bandaged.

- I had 5 stitches done, nothing serious. I don’t think this will cause problems in the future and I should be healthy by the time of next match.

- Did you get any surprises from Sampdoria?

- We reviewed the matches of this team and had a good perception of what Italian football is. Everyone was talking about Cassano, but I think Sampdoria also has other good footballers. I am glad the game turned out so well.

Edmar

- Edmar, please share your first impressions from the game.

- I am very glad, but Myron Bohdanovych has asked us to forget about this game and I agree with him.

- Why forget? You can keep result in mind and play accordingly.

- We understand quite well that nothing is decided. That is why we have to continue working to advance.

- What is the secret of Metalist success? Were you controlling the game, or would you say that Metalist got lucky?

- I think a bit of both. There are no specific reasons.

- You looked great on the pitch. Do you think you would be able to play well in Serie A?

- I work a lot to look like that and to play like that. But I have to tell you that I am satisfied both with Ukraine and with Metalist, so I am not thinking about Sampdoria, Serie A or sometning else for now.

- So, are you saying you have overgrown the level of Sampdoria?

- I will repeat again, I am happy to play with Metalist. Everything else is just empty talks.

- The feelings after the goal was scored… Were you certain you would come out victorious?

- Not at all. We knew what sort of team our opponent was, so we did not relax until the last second of the match.

- What can you say about upcoming match? Will you be fighting Italians, or the weather?

- I think the weather will not affect the flow of the game, since we already got used to weather conditions. I think Sampdoria will have a special preparation for the second match, so I don’t expect an easy game.

- Do you feel proud after such victories?

- I have always said you have to gradually approach your goals. That is why Metalist is at such a serious level right now. We are doing everything rationally and gradually.

- It became a habit for Metalist to win 1:0. Some time ago, Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea displayed the same. Do you think “blue” and “yellow-and-blue” are comparable?

- It’s too early to make that comparison, we are not Chelsea yet. We have our own way. We want to reach the maximum gradually and everything is underway right now.

- Would you call reaching the UEFA Cup finals a maximum?

- We’ll see, it is too early to think about that.

- Are national championship and Ukrainian Cup still the team priorities, or did the accent shift to UEFA Cup?

- Metalist goal is a constant progress and success at all levels. That is why we are maximalists.

Denys Oliynyk

- Denys, please talk about how you managed to score the goal.

- Bordian received the ball on the left flank, I rushed towards him, then sharply changed the direction and lost the defender. After jumping towards the ball I managed to barely touch it with my head, but this turned out to be sufficient for the ball to end up in the net.

- Prior to the scored goal we were under impression that the play was not working out for you and you were not as impressive and efficient on the attack as usual.

- I agree with you, not everything worked out. However, we had a difficult training meet and this is my first match. I hope I did not let the coach and the fans down. Myron Bohdanovych has assigned me a task of helping on defense, so that is why I had to play along the flank and move to the center. I felt my energy is being drained every minute, which caused some of the mistakes. Nevertheless, I managed to score and, most importantly, the team has won.

- Ukrainian national team head coach Olexiy Mykhailychenko was present at the match today. Do you think he will invite you to the national team?

- I am not thinking about that. I know that I need to work a lot to achieve success with Metalist and if I keep progressing and improving my game, everything will be OK.

- Did you manage to talk to the national team head coach?

- Yes, we had a few words prior to the game and had a more substantial talk after. Olexiy Olexandrovych was present at the training meet in UAE. During the match against Zenit I did not convert a good moment when I missed a header. He has jokingly asked me then: Denys, when are you going to learn to play with your head? Today after the match he came over, congratulated me and said: Denys, it looks like you learned to play with your head?! I responded that I worked on that, just like he suggested. I am truly glad I managed to score such a goal.