LOKO NEWS // Zhemaletdinov and Kulikov interviews after the win against Nizhniy

INTERVIEW WITH ZHEMALETDINOV AFTER THE GAME WITH FC NIZHNY NOVGOROD:

— Victory — for the whole club, for our fans. It was a tough game. Yes, at the end there were some well played moments for the opponents. But the most important thing is that we won.

— You scored two goals. Tell me about these goals.
— Concerning the first one. We conceived a combination, but it did not work. The cross was not succeeded. The defender intercepted it, and the ball bounced back to me. Well, I hit. And the ball flew directly into the goal. The second goal was the result of the good combination. Center, center, flank to Kerk. I ran to the penalty area like my life depends on it. He crossed well, and I ended the pass.

— Did it become more difficult after the red card?
— Well, yes. There is the psychological moment when opponent's player is sent off. In that exact moment you think that's it, we won. And then they score. And you know, the most dangerous moments are set pieces, when the opponent does not have one player. We missed it and the panic set in. The coach said that it is normal and it happens to all teams. The most important thing here is that we handled it and won.

I missed two penalties. My family and my girlfriend supported me. They said that this happens often, and even great players did not score two penalties at once. I did not worry much about this and tried my best to help the team. So, it seems to work (smiled).

In fact, now we are in the middle of difficult period — FC Zenit, FC Krasnodar, FC Rubin, FC Dynamo and FC Krylya Sovetov. The very tough period. We will fight, and we will try. Now we have no other choice. We can't go back now. We will play to win.

DANIIL KULIKOV'S COMMENT AFTER THE GAME WITH NIZHNY NOVGOROD:

— I am glad I am back after five months of absence. I feel great, especially because we won. I am very happy to help my team and take these three points. We should have finished earlier, scored goals, even before we conceded. We need to control the ball and not to lose it in simple situations. That's it. But the main thing is that we won.

­— From one to hundred, how do you feel now?
— I guess near 90. There is still room to grow. And I will try to make some progress for the next match. Now we need to focus on the game with FC Zenit. We need to prepare for this game starting now.