I have experienced very few emotions like this in my life
Saturday, May 23, 2026
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Comments from Shakhtar U19 midfielder Viktor Tsukanov after winning the title
– Viktor, congratulations on your victory and the title! How do you feel after becoming champion of the youth league?
– Thank you for the congratulations! I feel like I gave everything in my final season at U19 level. This is my first title in the Academy, so it is very valuable to finish it with a victory and a trophy as a leader because I played in almost every match. I have probably experienced very few emotions like this in my life.
– In the match against Kolos U19, you scored a brace and everyone considers you the hero of this encounter. What’s your reaction to that?
– I don’t really see it that way as every player is a hero. It just so happened that I scored twice, but it is the team that play, not an individual. There was no such thing as one player deciding the result for the team; everyone gave everything and I felt the energy from the very start. We had not won the title for a long time, and I’m happy that we have brought the gold medals back to where they belong.
– Was there any nervousness before the match, given that the title was decided in the final round?
– There was no nerves, just a sense of anticipation for the game. I wanted to play as soon as possible. I woke up an hour before my alarm and couldn’t settle down, I couldn’t wait for the opening whistle and, of course, the final whistle.
– This season is your last at youth level. How important is it to finish it with gold medals?
– Very important, because we were leading throughout the previous two seasons, but let the title slip away just before the decisive matches. This time we understood that we could not let such a chance go. We knew it was our match and our title.
– Thank you for the congratulations! I feel like I gave everything in my final season at U19 level. This is my first title in the Academy, so it is very valuable to finish it with a victory and a trophy as a leader because I played in almost every match. I have probably experienced very few emotions like this in my life.
– In the match against Kolos U19, you scored a brace and everyone considers you the hero of this encounter. What’s your reaction to that?
– I don’t really see it that way as every player is a hero. It just so happened that I scored twice, but it is the team that play, not an individual. There was no such thing as one player deciding the result for the team; everyone gave everything and I felt the energy from the very start. We had not won the title for a long time, and I’m happy that we have brought the gold medals back to where they belong.
– Was there any nervousness before the match, given that the title was decided in the final round?
– There was no nerves, just a sense of anticipation for the game. I wanted to play as soon as possible. I woke up an hour before my alarm and couldn’t settle down, I couldn’t wait for the opening whistle and, of course, the final whistle.
– This season is your last at youth level. How important is it to finish it with gold medals?
– Very important, because we were leading throughout the previous two seasons, but let the title slip away just before the decisive matches. This time we understood that we could not let such a chance go. We knew it was our match and our title.