“I Had to Take Off My Hat, Gloves and Start Cursing”: Head Coach of “Baltika” Andrei Talalaev on the Victory Over “Ural”

“Today there is a celebration in my soul,” said the head coach of the Kaliningrad team.

On August 20, the football club “Baltika” played a guest match in Yekaterinburg against the local “Ural” and won with a score of 4:2. This is the team's first victory in the new season of the First League championship.

After the match, the head coach of “Baltika” Andrei Talalaev shared his emotions.

“Today there is a celebration in my soul,” Talalaev admitted. “I would like to thank the guys for the victory. Before the match, we had a serious conversation with the team. We agreed that we would fight to the end and play for the sake of our fans. The guys fulfilled everything we agreed on. I had to take off my hat, gloves and start cursing. Because of the emotions. I lack vocabulary. I repeat: great victory. And not only because the victory was so needed, but also because of the way we achieved it.”

According to Talalaev, in the first half of the match, “Baltika” played more cautiously, but in the second half, the team managed to add momentum and took the initiative.

“In the second half, we switched to three central defenders, because we needed to play more aggressively,” the coach explained. “It turned out, so to speak, to crush the opponent. And it worked. The guys showed character, desire, and there was also some luck. But luck accompanies those who go forward, who are not afraid to play, who do not give up. The victory was well-deserved.”

Talalaev also noted the support of the fans who came to Yekaterinburg to support “Baltika”.

“It's very nice to win in front of our fans,” said the head coach of “Baltika”. “Their support helps a lot. I would like to thank them for coming to Yekaterinburg. Let's win more victories together.”