Leonid Kuchuk: “The game turned unpredictable when Yanbayev got injured”

As the Railwaymen hauled the first home victory against Rostov 2:1, their head coach Leonid Kuchuk told the post-match press-conference he holds such victories especially valuable and thanked his men for proper concentration after Corluka got sent off.
 
- Comment on the game.
- It was the hardest game. It turned unpredictable for us when Yanbayev got injured. Because of this injury we had to reshape the whole strategy. So you lose one substitution while you’re planning to boost the central zone. As a result, after Colrluka’s ejection and a penalty the game that had been following our scenario turned into a lottery where any team could score. I want to thank my team who were concentrated and still tried to attack.

- Do you know what’s wrong with Yanbayev?
- Not yet. He will go through a medical check today or tomorrow and we’ll see. Renat put his leg on the ground, it got turned, he tried to kick the ball, and got hurt.

- Do you agree it’s Lokomotiv’s fault they let Rostov get back into the game? You looked like you have the victory in your hands…
- You treat it all wrong. There can be episodes when a referee l can go on tilt like any other player or a coach, or a human being. Of course he tried his best. As they say, everyone should carry his own luggage and stick to his level. The opposing team’s player was sent off,  our player was sent off – so what, should I keep discussing it now? We won and hauled three points, and are moving on. If I start going into the details regarding how the referees worked, I won’t have time for anything while I have only two days left before the next fixture. A coach is not someone who just sits on the bench. I often don’t sleep at night because I get ready for a game, and not try to analyze how referees work.

As for today’s game, a team is worth its name if it wins the games that don’t go as planned. These games happen. You score and then goes – bang! Freeze! I hold such victories more valuable than others. If we had drawn the game or lost it, I would never have forgiven myself for that.