The captain of the Russian national team, the 2016 Olympic champion Daria Dmitrieva talked in the interview to Handballfast not only about the matches against Belarus in Minsk, but also about adaptation in Ferencvarosi TC, Allan Heine, Dragana Cvijic, and much more.
— So, you changed Slovenian RK Krim for Ferencvarosi TC. In retrospect, why did you finally choose Hungary?
— Ferencvarosi called me for a long time. When I received their offer once again, I came to the conclusion that I should go. One of the reasons is strengthening of its squad. I would like to get to the Champions League Final Four and experience how to play at this level.
— Valeria Maslova, who is well-known to you after CSKA, became one of the newcomers of the team. Did you discuss with her whether you should join Ferencvarosi?
— We called up, but we didn’t concern transfer questions. Clubs don’t disclose upcoming contracts.
— You came to Budapest and, what a surprise, Valeria is there!
— The story was different, of course. We already discussed that we will play together after the club announced the signing of agreements with us on New Year’s Eve.
— Did you settle close to each other in the Hungarian capital?
— It wasn't’t necessary. Budapest is not so big. The distance is not like in Moscow. We live five minutes away from each other by car. It takes the same time to get to the sports hall.
—Actually, there are 1,7 million people in Budapest, four subway branches… It’s one thing to compare Budapest with Moscow and another matter is to compare with Ljubljana with 300’000 residents. Were you sad to leave?
— To a certain extent. Ljubljana is a nice city with plenty of beautiful places surrounding it and RK Krim is my first European club. And girls are really nice in the team.
— You met an old acquaintance from CSKA Dragana Cvijic in Ferencvarosi. Does she remember the Russian language?
— I can’t say she speaks fluently, but she remembers many phrases. When she hears me talking to Lera, she refreshes in memory.
— And what about Beatrice Edwige, who had played for Rostov-Don?
— She knows several words.
— Do they recall Russia?
— I didn’t discuss it with Beatrice. And Dragana said many times in interview that she liked being in Moscow. At first, she didn’t want to accept the offer of CSKA, but when she came, she changed her mind: "Wow, it’s cool!"
— Do you mainly communicate with Maslova?
— Not only. Sometimes someone from the team invites, and everyone comes. It is customary. Obviously, in this case we use English.
— Does it mean that the transfer met your expectations?
— Yes. The collective is good and team is great.
— You almost ensured a ticket to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating CSM Bucuresti twice at intervals of a week.
— In fact, our team faces a challenge to take one of the two first places in the group to reach 1/4 finals directly avoiding two additional games. However, we can’t relax. Six rounds are ahead of us.
Even the clubs from the lower part of the tournament standings are capable of surprises. Nykobing, Storhamar, Gloria Bistrita are all unpredictable. That is why we have to tune in to each match carefully. For instance, Gloria Bistrita beat Bucuresti and Storhamar played a draw with Metz in the first round.
— You scored 6 goals in a home match with Bucuresti and joined the symbolic national team of the Champions League’s 8th round. Clearly, you are in good shape, aren’t you? How do you evaluate it yourself?
— Indeed, I feel good physically and regarding playing.
— Do you know, are there plans to build a more spacious arena for Ferencvarosi not to go to neighboring Erd for the Champions League matches?
— I know nothing about it. Concerning Elek Gyula Arena, where the team holds matches of the national championship, it’s small, but very cozy. It is full on each match, even if we host modest rivals. Love to Fradi is often passed down through generations. Besides, Ferencvarosi is on the top now. Last season it won the championship and the Cup of Hungary. That is why everyone particularly tunes in to the matches with us.
— Ferencvarosi is the most titled and popular club in Hungary in men’s football. Over the past 20 years in women’s handball Fradi and Gyori ETO KC has competed for the champions title. Your team has 4 victories, while the club from the North-Western Hungary — 15 (the champion wasn’t determined in the season-2019/20). Which club has more fans?
— I find it difficult to compare. But Gyori has a lot of fans with its huge arena. Regarding competition in the championship, I would also single out such teams as Debreceni VSC and Mosonmagyarovari KC SE, which breath down the leaders’ necks.
— Since we’ve mentioned football, did you attend any match of your club’s team, where Stanislav Cherchesov and the current coach of Spartak Dejan Stankovic used to work? Was a collective visit arranged for handball players?
— I spent the first six months on adaptation, I didn’t manage to attend competitions in other sports. I don’t follow football. To be honest, I don’t really like it. Although, I’ve heard the name Cherchesov, of course.
— During the meeting of the national team of Russia with journalists you said that you follow our Super League. To what extent? Do you find out the results or watch matches?
— I watch mainly top matches. The last match I saw was CSKA — Rostov-Don. And the match Chernomorochka — Astrakhanochka before that.
— What impressions are left of the Olympic tournament?
— I felt very sad because we didn’t participate in it.
— Did you notice any tendencies of women’s handball development?
— We know all the players, since we play in the Champions League. Therefore, we had an approximate idea of the national teams. Everything was expected for me in the tournament. The final between Norway and France and the Scandinavian triumph happened, as I predicted.
— Did you really suppose that Norway would easily win with a score of 29:21?
— It was more or less what I expected. Norway had a particular motivation. They did’t reach the final two Olympics in a row. Several players, like Stine Oftedal, were going to finish their career. France, obviously, was playing at home, but it puts pressure psyсhologically.
— Did Laura Glauser and Orlane Kanor share in the team what prevented from taking the gold?
— We didn’t discuss it. We just congratulated them on winning the Olympic silver medals. It's a high achievement too.
— How do you find a Danish coach of Ferencvarosi Allan Heine, who led the team to a double last season in Hungary?
— Last season Krim faced Ferencvarosi at the group stage. We convincingly won in Ljubljana. The Hungarian team had another coach at that time (Martin Albertsen — Handballfast). We almost lost in January (the matches ended with the score of 32:26 and 28:26 in favor of Krim — Handballfast). Besides, I noticed high emotional upsurge of the rivals.
Allan really gives the players emotions during the matches. He always supports, suggests. He is a positive person.
— And what about training process? Are there any peculiarities in it?
— Except that one-time workouts. But Jan Leslie, a Danish coach whom I worked with in CSKA, also offered one workout a day. I like it. There is time to settle own issues.
— And where did you have two-time workouts?
— In Lada, for example. And in the national team.
— Did you find many new faces in the national team?
— Everyone is mostly familiar to me. After all, I was on the training session a year ago. I got acquainted with many young players then. I was unfamiliar with just a few people of the new faces: Anna Vereshchak, Ksenia Zakordonskaya, Anna Kaynarova, whom I saw in the match for Astrakhanochka, but didn’t know personally.
— Anastasia Shkitina?
— We played for Dinamo Volgograd with her. And I played against Anastasia Kazmenko, when I returned to CSKA to the final series with Rostov-Don.
— It seems that you will be on vacation after the matches in Minsk, isn’t it? Unfortunately, Russia will miss the European championship, matches of the Champions League will resume in 2025 and Ferencvarosi will have a match in the Championship of Hungary on December, 28.
— I wouldn’t call it a vacation, but there will be a break for several days. We will return to Budapest by December, 9. We were given an opportunity to spend time with family. I will go to Togliatti, where my parents still live. They are looking forward to seeing me.
— Did you parents visit you in Slovenia?
— No, they didn’t. It was difficult to get a visa. The application procedure was simplified in Hungary, but they haven’t received yet. However, there is an alternative — we can meet in neighbouring Serbia.
Photo: Alena Pastushenko, Ferencvarosi TC Press
