Igor Volkhin: "It cannot be said that the game was easy"

Zenit forward Igor Volkhin commented on the match result against Samara (92:61). On his birthday player highlighted the key moments that led to the final victory.

— First of all, I want to thank our fans and everyone who supported Zenit for coming and cheering us on. No matter what the score was on the board, it doesn’t reflect the whole essence of the game. It cannot be said that the game was easy. A lot of work was done. We more or less followed all the coach's instructions and fulfilled all the requirements. And from this, we got a logical result.

— In the first half, Samara still put up some resistance to Zenit, but then in the second half, the blue-whites team found their rhythm. In your opinion, what contributed to this?

— First and foremost, it was due to our defense. This gives us confidence in attack. It seems to me that this has always been the case, and it always will be.

— Was Trent Frazier's shot at the end of the first half decisive? Did it add more emotion?

— I think every point adds some emotion. I won’t say that we specifically started feeling something because of that shot. But I’m very glad he finally started scoring, as he had been having problems with that.

— What feelings do you have after a home game, considering the long away series ahead?

— It’s always nice to play at home in front of our fans. I don’t know how else to describe it. There’s nothing like, "We haven’t played here in a while". On the contrary, it always gives us more confidence, and everyone is always happy to play at home in front of our supporters.

— You mentioned that, despite the score, the game can’t be called easy. In what area does Zenit still need to improve to achieve perfection?

— Perfection probably never really exists. There will always be something to work on and improve. But I think lately we’ve started to act better defensively, we’ve been feeling each other better in attack, and communication in defense has improved. And from this, everything is gradually leading to results.

— What is your attitude toward records? Ahead is a game against Lokomotiv-Kuban, and a few years ago you set a record for points scored in a match against that team.

— Of course, I remember. Always, in every game, I want to repeat or score more, but I have never set personal priorities above the team’s. If I score, great. If I don’t, the main thing is for the team to win. That’s just how I am.