The head coach of Lithuanian “Zalgiris” Vladimir Cheburin commented on his team’s defeat to Maltese “Hamrun Spartans” (0:2, penalties — 10:11) in the return match of the 1st qualifying round of the Champions League.
Vladimir Cheburin“We didn’t do well in the first half. Not everything we had planned worked out. The opponent had the advantage in their pressure, created moments, which led to them scoring two goals. The first goal was a result of our mistakes. The second goal was because we didn’t concentrate on what we had talked about before the match and what we had been warned about.
In the second half, we wanted to get back into the game, there was a strong desire from our side, we brought in new, fresh players, considering the weather conditions as well. But the opponent remained in a good mood, having a two-goal advantage, and created pressure.
We could have ended the match time a bit differently, but due to the red card (in the 114th minute of the match, — note of the editor) we had to play with fewer players in the extra time. But I will say that even with ten players we played organized.
About the penalty shootout, we always say that it is a lottery, but concentration is needed here. Our player, who lacked concentration, failed to convert the penalty twice, and that is already a problem,” Cheburin said in a comment to the press service of “Zalgiris”.
Text transcription — Dynamo.kiev.ua, when using the material hyperlink is mandatory!
