Dynamo goalkeeper Ruslan Neshcheret spoke after training at the club’s training base about his reaction to his first call-up to the Ukraine national team and how the team is preparing for the upcoming away match against Oleksandriya this Thursday:
— Today we had an intensive training session. We started the weekly cycle yesterday. Everything is good, we’re preparing.
— Why are you training with yellow balls?
— From what I’ve seen Oleksandriya often play with yellow balls. So we train with the balls that we’ll face there. You have to get used to them since they’re new, a little slippery, so it takes some adjustment.
— You were called up to the Ukraine national team. What were your emotions upon receiving your first invitation? Who did you tell first?
— We got the information in the WhatsApp group and that’s how I found out. Then I went to the gym and they already congratulated me there. I’m very happy. Literally seconds after I was added to the group, Illia Zabarnyi wrote, congratulated me and said he would be happy to see me.
— Did you expect this call-up or was it a surprise?
— No, I didn’t expect it. I just worked as hard as I could, believed in myself and gave my all on the pitch. And, as you can see, that work paid off.
— It’s a week of European competitions. Do you plan to watch Champions League matches?
— I’ll see which matches are on the schedule and maybe watch something. But I need to go to bed earlier to recover well. Maybe I’ll watch the first match and the first half of the second - then sleep.
— Who do you support? Who do you think will win the Champions League?
— As a Real Madrid fan I’d like them to win. But we’ll see.
— Real won 3:0 against Manchester City, even though many didn’t consider them favorites. Was that surprising for you?
— I think Real always looks strong in the Champions League. There are periods when they aren’t too confident but overall they are a very strong team, especially at Santiago Bernabéu. So this result wasn’t surprising.
— Do you think the intrigue could still return?
— Of course, the competition is still open. Manchester City is a very strong team and creates many chances. In the Champions League anything is possible.
