"Was a persistent offender."

Kazan "Rubin" confidently goes on the seventh place in the Russian Football Championship. And in the Cup of Russia it continues to perform in the RPL Way, where the results of the upcoming away return quarterfinal match against CSKA Moscow can pass to the next stage. The first match in the capital of Tatarstan ended with the score 0:0.

Even active rumors about the resignation of Rubin head coach Rashid Rakhimov, which appeared in the media for most of the fall, did not prevent such results. In an interview with Izvestia, Oleg Ivanov, one of the most experienced players in the RPL, midfielder of the Kazan club, told how these rumors affected the team, shared his impression of the game against Artem Dzyuba and explained why he continues to play in the Premier League at the age of 38.

"With Dzyuba, they gained a lot in the penalty area"

- Why did they beat Akron so easily by the scoreline?

- Well, the scoreline might have seemed really easy. But in the game I would not say that everything was easy for us. You can still feel what kind of soccer Akron is trying to play. Probably due to discipline, fighting qualities and unity we managed to achieve the result.

- You have already played four games against Akron - two in the championship and two in the Russian Cup. Rubin played their first two games against this team back in the summer, when Artem Dzyuba didn't come to Togliatti. How did their game change with his arrival?

- It has changed. It is clear that with Artem they have gained a lot in the penalty area. He knows how to get hold of the ball and execute. But in the last match against Akron, our defenders did a great job, not giving him opportunities.

- Is it a difficult task to close down Dzyuba?

- Well, we've seen that he's already given goals and scored. Still, his skill allows him to dispose of the ball at a high level and create chances - both for himself and his teammates.

The feeling of "Loko": whether "Spartak" will be able to win the derby against "railroaders"

The match between the two Moscow teams will be the centerpiece of the second round of the RPL

"For Russians there is no problem to play in the cold".

- "Rubin" is very tightly entrenched in the middle of the table, having a serious gap from the leading group, but also a big gap from the teams fighting for survival. How does it affect your motivation?

- We talked among ourselves within the team and decided that we should look at the group at the top and not let it go far. Because if we let it go, then some sports component and excitement will go to another thing: not to catch up with us at the bottom. And we want to grow and sit on the wheel of the teams that are at the top.

- Two goals against Akron were scored by your forward Mirlind Daku, who recently had a frustrating history with two consecutive unassisted penalties - in the Russian Cup to CSKA (1-0) and in the championship to Krasnodar (1-1). How did he survive it?

- According to my feelings, he was worried very much. I saw that he was picking at himself, and I tried to communicate with him somehow, to calm him down, I told him that the penalty was a lottery, and that he should not sprinkle his head with ashes.

- You played your last home game in 2024, now before the winter break there will be only two trips to Moscow to CSKA in the Cup and championship and to Makhachkala to Dinamo in the championship. Is it good that you won`t have to play in the Kazan cold, or is it more of a shame that you won`t play at home until March?

- There are no problems for Russians to play in the cold. You have to ask foreigners. We understand that it's always nice to play at home when the fans come - we play for them first of all.

"I've never been a hardliner."

- Almost the whole fall the media reported about Rashid Rakhimov's imminent resignation, but at the same time in the last two months you have lost only two matches out of six in the championship, playing well in the Cup. Why those rumors did not affect the team?

- I do not know how to explain. But in general, if you take other RPL clubs, then, for example, not so long ago Zenit were slipping. And all teams in general are slipping.

- They are stalling, but in the context of the resignation, the media only talked about Rakhimov.

- Probably, someone wanted it.

- Was it discussed inside the team?

- There was a question about it inside the team - after the first throw-in. And then we talked among ourselves and decided that there was no need to pay attention to it. And we just continued working.

- Next August you'll be 39 years old. At this age Igor Lebedenko scored the oldest goal in RPL history. Is there a goal to break his record?

- I have not guessed how long I will play. Probably, the second round of the championship will be fundamental in this matter. Anyway, there will be a dialog with the club. And then I will make a decision depending on what I will be offered. Whether I will be offered to stay in the team for the next season. Or not. So far I do not think so far ahead - I just do my job, help the team as much as I can. I share my experience, support the guys. And I am ready to go out for any amount of time at any time, as the coach says.

- Why did you manage to play in the RPL until the age of 38? Were you a strict regimen man, watched your diet, did not get out of the gym?

- I have never been a strict regime man. I guess I was an offender. A bad one (smiles).

- When and how much?

- I'll tell you that when I finish playing. But in recent years, yes. There is nowhere to go: if you want to prolong your soccer career, you have to give up something.

- In recent years - how many years?

- A couple or three years.