"We get a penalty in our team if you turn away from the ball and we score a goal."

This week, the players of Dynamo Makhachkala won away from Spartak Moscow in the second round match of the group stage of the "RPL Paths" of the Russian Cup. After a 1-1 draw in regular time, the Dagestani club prevailed in a penalty shootout 4:3. This is the third victory of Khasanbi Bijiyev's team over the red-whites in six matches of the championship and Cup of the country over the past year.

In an interview with Izvestia, Dynamo Makhachkala midfielder Nikita Glushkov explained how this opponent manages to regularly fight, told about the unusual fines imposed by his club's president Haji Gadzhiev, commented on Spartak's interest in Dagestan defender Valentin Paltsev and spoke about a possible tightening of the limit on foreign players in the RPL.

— Why does Dynamo Makhachkala regularly take points from Spartak?

— Yes, to be honest, I don't even know anymore. I don't know how to explain it. They probably can't play against us. And we have a double attitude towards Spartak. I think it's the same for all teams.

— Even for the current Spartak, which is failing the start of the season?

— Anyway, Spartak is Spartak. Did you see how many fans there were at our last cup match against him (just under 17,000 spectators — Ed.)? That's probably what we play football for. In this match, we saw firsthand what we were playing for. And it added motivation. To be honest, the support of the Spartak fans for their team, the way they shouted loudly, I don't even remember that. Last year we also played them away in the Russian Cup, but it felt like there were fewer such loud voices.

— And when they beat them away in the championship in the spring (2:1), where active fans don't go in protest because of a fan's card?

— The championship is completely different. The atmosphere there is more like a theater.

— Is there no such atmosphere in Makhachkala as at the last cup match in Moscow?

— Spartak has a bigger stadium capacity, and more people are walking. Plus, they get sick more noisily. It seems to me that they have more people here who come to the stadium not just to watch the game, but to cheer and provide vocal support to their team.

— How would you rate Dynamo Makhachkala's start in the Russian championship and Cup?

— We evaluate it normally. But we still lost a lot of points. Although we are happy with what we have.

— Abubakar Hajiyev and Egash Kasintura left you for Akhmat in the offseason. Did it have any effect on the team?

— We weren't worried about it at all. We have such a team that, I do not know, if you take five people out of it, the game will still be the same. That is, as long as Haji Muslimovich Gadzhiyev is at the head of the club, I think we will have the same thing.

— At the expense of what?

— Let's just say he doesn't let us relax. No one at the club at all.

"In what way?"

— In very different ways: the system of fines, and just talking.

— What are the fines?

— There are a lot of them for a variety of moments, but it won't be very good to voice the numbers.

"What are they for?"

— Well, for example, if you turned away from the ball and we scored a goal, then you get a penalty. After the match, the coaching staff and management make a video analysis of the match. And if everyone sees that you turned away from the ball, they give you a fine. To be honest, I agree with that. It seems to me that this is correct. You can't turn away from the ball.

— And if we name the order of the sums?

— If you turn away from the ball once and we score, you lose 50% of the bonus. For the second time, they may lose 100% of the bonus.

— Have you ever been fined like this?

— No, I didn't hit it. It was about three or four years ago, in the first season of Dynamo Makhachkala in the first league. I turned away from the ball then, and for the first time they forgave me. But I didn't do it again. In fact, in relation to other players, I can't remember in the last year or a year and a half that anyone has been fined like that. Not because they forgive, but because they didn't give any reasons.

— At the end of next week, in the sixth round, you will play away against Zenit, which scored the same number of points with you in the championship. Are there any chances to beat and beat him in the table at least for a while?

— Yes, I think you can take away points from everyone. And win them all. Regardless of the opponent's condition. Last season we showed that. God forbid that this season it happens too. But the main thing is to collect your points in matches with teams from the bottom of the table. We have some kind of problem with this. So before thinking about Zenit, we need to beat Pari Nizhny Novgorod in the next round.

— Last season, your team finished 11th in the championship and remained in the RPL without transitional matches, largely due to the ability to fight hard on the field in every game. Will that be enough to keep yourself in the Premier League now?

— I think the beginning of the championship showed that, in general, we retained all our best qualities. I don't even know what needs to change to make us different. Although something needs to be added. I hope that the newcomers who come to us will add class to the team. The main thing is that they do what we do and add their own.

— Was the fight with Krasnodar players at the June friendly a consequence of your team's ability to fight to the end?

— No, it's just that some guys at Krasnodar are a little over the top. I had to answer. And our team is solid, so everyone ran to fight for each other.

— How do the team react to the rumors about Spartak's interest in Valentin Paltsev?

— It's fine. To be honest, I would be only glad if Valya goes for a promotion. He's a good kid and a good football player. I think he deserves a chance somewhere higher.

— Will you find someone to replace him with?

— Yes, we have someone to replace him with. I've already told you: we have such a team that if someone falls out, then they will quickly find an equivalent person in his place.

— If your club's CEO Shamil Gazizov forces Spartak to pay 5 million euros for Paltsev, as rumored in the media, will it be a success for the club?

— Well, yes, if Shamil Kamilyevich can do this, it will be a significant help for Dynamo Makhachkala in terms of financial opportunities. But I do not know how it works, how such negotiations are conducted between clubs. Probably 5 million euros is good. But at the same time, you can wait for the tightening of the limit on foreign players and sell Val for 8 million euros (smiles).

— How do you feel about the statements of the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Mikhail Degtyarev about the introduction of a limit on foreign players with a limit of up to five foreigners on the field?

"In two ways. Any restriction is probably not a good thing. Unfortunately, our mentality is that foreigners are trusted a little more than locals. I think so. That is, if the conditions are equal, then priority will be given to foreigners. For some reason, this is how we work. Perhaps, in this regard, in order to equalize the possibilities, certain restrictions are needed in Russia. Probably, in our conditions, a limit is necessary. Plus now, while our clubs are absent from European competitions. And at this time, the limit and the trust of the Russians are clearly better than the situation when seven Brazilians are playing in Zenit.

— Can I say that you personally and Dynamo Makhachkala also have an interest in tightening the limit?

"That's understandable. And I don't deny it. As a footballer, it will be easier for me to play all the time.

— At the same time, can there be an increased demand for you from top clubs, like for Paltsev?

— Yes, yes. It is clear that the Russian football player will be better off. It's really a difficult question. I understand that I wish I had more opportunities to play all the time. Although they give it to me in Makhachkala, it may not be the case in every club. At the same time, it is not clear what the level of the championship as a whole will be without a number of foreign players. And if the level drops, then I won't add any more. So there are many arguments for and many against.

— What kind of Dynamo's place in the championship will you consider a success at the end of the season?

— How many teams do we have now?

— 16.

— It would probably be nice to finish in the top eight.

— Do you really not remember how many teams there are in the RPL?

— I don't even remember what place we took last season. I don't think about the table at all, I don't know who is in what place. But maybe I know who's on the first line. And who's on the flight. As it is, I watch football, but I don't look at the table.