Interview with Yozhyk about the World Cup

— Hello, Zhenya! As a great football fan, you are probably closely following the World Cup. How do you like the tournament in general?

— Hi! Oh sure. It's impossible to be a football fan, but not follow such an event. The tournament is fun. One of the most unpredictable I've ever seen.

— Some bright national teams did not make it to Russia. In your opinion, is there a team (besides Ukraine), which is really missing from the current championship?

— I would not say that someone is missing. If some teams are not ready at this stage, then they need to work on the mistakes and try themselves at the next qualifying stage.

— Which team did you consider the main contender for the victory in the championship before the matches started? Has your opinion changed after most of the games?

— Can't pick just one. For me, three teams stood out: Germany, France and Brazil. Selection of players and stable performance at such tournaments became the reason for my choice. But the Germans have already played enough: something went wrong, and for the first time in history they did not exit the group at the World Cup. Opinion has not changed. France and Brazil are still in the business: one of them should be in the finals.

— Already in the group stage, the players disrupted all the forecasts. Tell me honestly, did you expect such results?

— My forecasts are available in the video, which I released on the eve of the start of the World Cup. Those who wanted to find out could do it there.

— Whose performance in the group would you call the most disappointing? In your opinion, what went wrong?

— The Germans. The team, which many considered the main contender for victory, ended up on the last place in the group. And the game lacked something. Probably, the team needed different players, and they had the opportunity to change. Perhaps the head coach has been there for too long.

— And whose success in the group stage, on the contrary, became a sensation in the good sense of the word?

— Sweden and Japan surprised me: the result was good, and the games themselves looked pretty decent.

— World Cup playoffs is in full swing. Has anyone already managed to surprise/upset you at this stage, or is everything quite predictable so far?

— Spain and Russia were surprising. The Spanish were pretty much standing still, and that's not how you win. The hosts, on the contrary, fulfilled their plan, retained the desired result and outplayed the opponent on penalties. I was surprised also by Japan. The team eventually lost to the Belgians, but the match itself was top-notch.

— Messi, Ronaldo, Salah ... the stars of world football dropped out of the competition indecently early, it seems. Was it because the teams didn't even try to hide they're trying to piggyback on the game of their star players?

— That's not about betting on one player even, but in the general selection of the participants of one or another team. Egypt did not look good in the group. Portugal and Argentina received very strong rivals in 1/8. Fair and square.

— It's not a secret for anyone the Russian-speaking fans are watching Russian team with hearts racing. What can you say about the level of its preparation and form?

— The Russian national team for me is no different from other teams. Why say something? The team is already in the top eight.

— Russia's exit from the group - just luck or a logical result? And the victory in the match against Spain?

— I predicted the exit from the group. But in a match with the Spanish players jumped above their heads, or the Spaniards jumped below their legs. It does not matter. The result was fair. The character and desire of the hosts overcame the class of the famous La Furia.

— The next opponent is a team from Croatia. From your point of view, will the Russian players cope?

— Croatians are favorites in this pair. But certain favorites have already dropped out of 1/8. If Russia can play a reliable defense, then is there a reason they won't bypass Croatia? Another thing is that the Croatians, unlike the Spanish, will not just stand and pass the ball around. There are players all around, ready to contest the ball, and both attack and defend well. Let's see, so to speak.

— The national team of Uruguay marches quite confidently through the bracket. Were they simply underestimated before, or did they find their game on the Russian stadiums? Are Uruguayans deal with the French?

— Why underestimated? They have a solid team. My pre-tournament forecast saw a pair of Uruguay - Portugal at the stage of 1/8. Another thing is that before the tournament I said: "Portugal", but during the tournament, after watching the matches in the group, on the eve of 1/8 I said: "Uruguay". Suarez and Cavani gained momentum in the group and came out mega-dangerous in the playoffs. And the defense is strong. Portugal, on the other hand, is a team of courage. But I have not seen this courage anywhere, except the match with Spain. But France is a top team. "Roosters" should go to the semifinals.

— Your attitude to VAR: has the introduction of this system improved football, or did it drive all the entertainment out?

— VAR is a bomb (in a positive sense). It is about time. There were many moments ruled unfairly because of an oversight. Entertainment? On the contrary, fun! You observe how the judge runs to watch, and you wait for his decisions, as well as football players. I like that.

— Thanks to the VAR system, the judges have become much bolder in appointing a penalty, because on repeat, even a light collision seems horrendous. Should the teams pay more attention to learning how to "earnestly" earn a penalty?

— Teams need to train, play football. I do not welcome simulating. If the foul really happened, the victim won't have to act like it.

— The weaker teams seem to prefer "parking the bus" from the very beginning, which is considered anti-football and looks, to put it mildly, boring. The result is first of all, yes, but what is your attitude toward such a thing and due to what this trend can change?

— It's unpleasant to watch. Previously, football was more fun, more open games, more space and beautiful combinations. Now everyone is trying to play as compactly as possible, and the zones open either due to fatigue in the second half or during a wonderfully conducted counterattack. For me, only the Icelandic bus parking looks fine. Forgive me, but the population of this country is 3 times smaller than my city, Lviv, and 135 less than my country, Ukraine. Hairdressers, teachers, dancers play football... But they are more successful than ours. Bravo, can't say much else!

— What do you think, who is going to make it to the finals? Why will these teams reach the decisive match?

— It's still anyone's game. Let's just watch.

— The best game?

— France - Argentina

— Best attack player?

— Harry Kane

— Most stable defense player?

— Let's say Diego Godín, because Uruguay only missed 1 ball.

— Most spectacular goal?

— Benjamin Pavard against Argentina.