Famous Ukrainian coach Sergei Puchkov shared his thoughts on the defeat of Zhytomyr’s Polesie by the representative of Andorra, Santa Coloma (1:2) in the first match of the 2nd qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
Sergei Puchkov“Speaking about the match between Polesie and Santa Coloma, the result just doesn’t make sense. How could one of the leading clubs in Ukraine, which year after year competes for top positions and has quite serious ambitions, lose to a little-known team from a microstate?!
Andorra is not known as a football country; its teams rarely win in European competitions. And if they do win, it is considered a huge upset. This is exactly the kind of upset that the Andorrans created in their game against Polesie. I don’t know what else, apart from the banal underestimation of the opponent, could explain this disgraceful defeat.
The first conceded goal for such an experienced team as Polesie is an unacceptable mistake. What were the defenders of Zhytomyr thinking, leaving Remolins alone in front of the goal? He equalized the score, and before the break, Crespo skillfully struck to put the Andorrans ahead.
I don’t know what Ruslan Rotan said to his players in the locker room during the halftime, but unfortunately, the second half did not improve the situation. A very painful defeat — both for the club and for our football in general. Now the players of Polesie need to think carefully before the return match,” said Puchkov.
