The acting head coach of Poltava Vorskla, Serhiy Dolhanskyi, recalls the victory in the 2009 Ukrainian Cup final, talks about the team's path in the current tournament and shares his expectations for the upcoming decisive match against Donetsk Shakhtar.

—Mr. Serhiy, Vorskla will play in the final of the 2023/2024 Ukrainian Cup. Is this the most important game of the season for Poltava?

— This is a trophy match. Such games create club history.

—Three wins in three matches with a goal difference of 7—0. What's the secret to Vorskla's success on their way to the final?

— In the Cup, everything is decided by one single meeting between teams on the field. You need to act at maximum self-sacrifice. The willingness to operate at the limits of self-sacrifice — isn't this the most important guarantee of victory?

—The match against Polissya was full of drama. A game advantage in the first half, a pause due to an air raid warning, Isenko's save from a penalty... The semifinal showdown was emotionally reminiscent of a real final. What helped your team win it?

— We were one solid unit in that game. Everyone came onto the field with one goal in mind. No one fell out of the game. In the last minutes, when it was hard, everyone did their job to 100%.

—Your opponent in the final — Donetsk Shakhtar. What's your opinion about the opponents ahead of the match? And what do you expect from the final?

— If we talk about all the accolades of Shakhtar, a team that represents our country at the highest level of club football in Europe, then we're just wasting time. This is an opponent who cannot be taken lightly, but we will fight and here other football rules often come into play. I expect maximum concentration from my team. We need to play with heart — that's my main advice for the final.

—You have already won a national Cup — in 2009, when Vorskla under Nikolai Pavlov defeated Shakhtar coached by Mircea Lucescu in Dnipropetrovsk. What do you remember about that match?

— May 31, 2009 — a day that is remembered in detail from the morning when the team gathered for breakfast. The spirit of the game was already in the air, and each of us felt the approach of something special. But the game consisted of many episodes that ultimately decided the fate of the entire match. We really felt we could do it, and when we scored a goal — it was settled. Favoring our success was also the expulsion of Fernandinho from the opposing team.

—In general, this is already Vorskla's third final in the history of Ukrainian Cup tournaments. After defeating Shakhtar in 2009 there was a loss to Dynamo in 2020. Vorskla could become only the fourth club in recent history (after Shakhtar, Dynamo and Chornomorets) to win this trophy more than once. What does your team have in its favor to tip the scales in their favor in the final?

— You can never compare teams that participated in the aforementioned finals. It's a completely different story, different teams and performers, different circumstances. The only thing that unites them — is the goal to win the trophy.

—The Ukrainian Cup final will take place for the first time in Rivne history. This is already the ninth Ukrainian city where the prestigious trophy will be contested. What do you think about expanding the geography of hosting final games? And what's your opinion on the "Avangard" stadium, where Vorskla and Shakhtar will meet?

— Rivne is my home land in general, so this will be a special match for me. As for geography, it only benefits Ukrainian football, promoting its popularity in the regions.

—For two years running, this tournament did not take place due to Russia's full-scale invasion. How do you view the return of competitions and fans to stadiums against the backdrop of ongoing security risks in Ukraine?

— Fans are the soul of the game. The emotions and mood of teams that meet on the field depend largely on what atmosphere prevails on the stands. In football, they play for spectators, so without them it's a completely different experience of the game itself. And the result from the 12th player depends directly.