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Alexey Zhamnov: Two most important matches of the tournament are ahead

Russia (bbabo.net), - The head coach of the Russian national ice hockey team Alexei Zhamnov summed up the results of the quarterfinal match, in which our team won a difficult victory over Denmark - 3:1.

What do you think about this match?

Alexey Zhamnov: Tough match. Denmark is a very good team. We assumed that there would be a very viscous game. Of course, I wanted to decide everything in the first period. The mood was exactly that. Spend more time in attack, play tighter. But it was not possible to realize all those moments that we had. But they took a step. There are two most important matches left in the tournament.

What happened in the third period when the Danes had real chances to level the score?

Alexey Zhamnov: Probably lost a little concentration. Still, when the score is 1:1, nervousness is felt. But this is a normal thing, this is the playoffs. But in general, the guys are great. Today was complete dedication.

Nesterov and Voinov said that after the rolling they were instructed to throw on horseback, because the opponent's goalkeeper is small. Did you bring it to them yourself?

Aleksey Zhamnov: We talked before the game, and after the second period I said, they say, throw it on top. Their goalkeeper sits down. In the second period, this was especially noticeable.

Galiyev was imprisoned…

Alexey Zhamnov: In the third period, he played, went on one shift.

Unhappy with his game?

Alexey Zhamnov: We have a team. Someone sank a little, someone, on the contrary, moved better. Those permutations that we did during the match, they were necessary. But to say that we planted him would be wrong. If you look at the game, it's not just Galiyev. We tried different combinations.

What do you think about removing Plotnikov?

Alexey Zhamnov: The stick was on the ice. Game moment.

He didn't screw up?

Aleksey Zhamnov: It happens when there is a struggle. You turn around, the player rides and you get a trip. Game moment. But these removals sometimes break the game, knock down the rhythm. We'll try to make sure this doesn't happen in the future.

Will Shipachev's goal take off his psychological burden?

Alexey Zhamnov: I hope so. And the guys are all happy. We are still worried about him. I think that Vadik will now become liberated and will still score decisive goals.

Is it encouraging that we will definitely not play in the semi-finals with Finland?

Aleksey Zhamnov: I don't know who we will play against. Let's wait. We have two important matches. Who will be our rivals is not up to us. We have to go out and play.

In the third period, almost all the links were shuffled for a while ...

Alexey Zhamnov: We decided to shake things up a bit.

When Voinov made his fantastic save, there was no thought: is this how we play against Denmark? Vladislav Tretyak has already said that a valid victory.

Alexey Zhamnov: Yes. But who could say that the Slovaks would beat the Americans? This is the playoffs. The slightest misstep can be very costly.

How did you try to change the game when there were critical moments in the third period?

Alexey Zhamnov: They said to calm down. Because there was a fuss. They asked the defenders to constantly talk to the goalkeeper. It is important that there is communication. Especially in our area.

Fedotov has a moment in every match when he plays unsteadily behind the goal ...

Aleksey Zhamnov: The problem is that there is a little more space behind the goal than we have in the KHL or NHL. Goalkeepers sometimes get lost behind the goal. And the goalkeepers of other teams make mistakes. But today he came to the rescue.

Did you play today in the wrong arena where you played the previous matches?

Alexey Zhamnov: No, what's the difference. Here we even liked it better. Cozier.

All three goals were scored by the Olympic champions of Pyeongchang. Is there any pattern in this?

Alexey Zhamnov: They are experienced players, they have already been at this stage. And so, of course, I want the attackers to score more and use their chances. There are not so many of them, in fact, everyone is trying to play tighter, work backwards. You need concentration.

How much does young Nikishin improve in the tournament? Today, with his interception, an attack began, which led to the winning goal. And what is the role of his partner in a couple, Nikita Nesterov, in this?

Alexey Zhamnov: I know the guys tell him, not only Nesterov. The coaching staff communicates a lot with young players. We try to make them feel at ease. It is clear that they have an additional burden of responsibility, and sometimes this manifests itself on the ice.

It's not often that a 20-year-old boy is trusted to play in the first pair ...

Alexey Zhamnov: If you don't trust young people, how will they progress?

Several times the thought flashed that the Russian team was too lucky. Do you feel like you're rushing?

Alexey Zhamnov: We'll talk about it after February 20 (final day - ).

But it doesn't bother you?Alexey Zhamnov: I'm worried about something else. I want the kids to relax. We just started playing hockey. To take the stove off. We went out and just enjoyed the moment. The Olympics sometimes happen once in a lifetime. And they will all succeed.

Are you don't have a crystal ball? (There were rumors that an astrologer works on the staff of the Russian team -)

Alexey Zhamnov: Exactly. This is all the nonsense that they write ... You approach the foreign press, for some reason they only have questions about sports and positive. For some reason, we always come up with some kind of nonsense.

Alexey Zhamnov: Two most important matches of the tournament are ahead