"Points will be counted in Madrid": what did the coaches and players say after the defeat of CSKA from Roma in the Champions League?

“There are always chances”

Despite the second defeat in a row from Roma, they keep optimism in the camp of CSKA. Even club president Yevgeny Giner encouraged journalists.

“CSKA did not deserve defeat. Chances remain. They are always there, ”Giner said.

Head coach of the red and blue Viktor Goncharenko admitted that the sensational victory over Real Madrid had a psychological impact on his young team.

“When you beautifully and brightly beat a club like Real, you take off emotionally high, and then you can fall low. There is some truth in this, ”Goncharenko said.

At the same time, the expert highly appreciated the actions of the wards and thanked them for the courage shown after Hurdur Magnusson was removed.

“The injury of Mario Fernandez, the removal of Magnusson and the ball quickly missed - much was against us. In the minority, the guys had to overcome themselves, and for this you can only thank them.

Such matches are useful for us in terms of team promotion. The guys are trying, many things seize on the fly. If today Niko Vlasic played a little lower than his level, then Rodrigo Bekao and Ivan Oblyakov, on the contrary, were fine. Nobody frankly dropped out of the game, ”said CSKA mentor.

"The first card was probably fair"

The author of the only red-blue ball Arnor Sigurdsson also noted that CSKA, despite the negative result, showed fighting qualities and looked better than in the first match with the Italian team.

In addition, the Icelandic midfielder commented on the removal of compatriot and teammate Magnusson. In the opinion of the midfielder, the second yellow card and the removal following it were unfair.

“We lost, so the result of the match certainly disappointed me. True, they looked generally good. Exactly better than the first game in Rome. More possessed the ball, and in general had moments. Of course, I am happy with my goal, but satisfaction is spoiled by a zero in the “scored points” column. Removal is very prevented. After being in the minority, they lost concentration. However, I do not agree with this decision of the judge. Hurdur was the first on the ball, ”Sigurdsson said.

On the removal, which largely influenced the final result of the meeting, said himself Magnusson. The Icelandic defender of the army team admitted that he violated the rules in the episode with the second yellow card, but the first warning he called controversial.

“In the case of the first“ yellow card ”the ball hit my hand. I just turned very quickly. When you perform such an action on the field, the hand automatically goes up. This is physiology, not evil intent. So the first card was only partly fair. The judge just decided that I was trying to catch the ball. But this is not the case at all, ”explained a distant CSKA player.

The second card Magnusson could not comment without viewing the video replay.

“I did not see the replay of the episode, but it seemed to me that I played the ball. Opponent changed the direction of the run, I tried to take away the projectile without violation. In my opinion, the judge was far away and did not see the moment exactly. He should have consulted with his assistants. True, I can not insist on his. Probably, it is worth reviewing the moment to say for sure, ”said Magnusson.

Also, according to the Icelander, CSKA dominated over the rival, despite the lost moments.

“It’s terrible to miss so early, I don’t know who missed Kostas Manolas. But it's great that we returned to the game and possessed an advantage. Yes, the guys had to be very difficult after my removal, but they still tried ... It’s a pity, it didn’t work to score more, ”concluded the Icelandic defender of Muscovites.

“We have a slight recession: tiredness has accumulated”

Other players of CSKA, for example, Vlašić, also promised to fight to the end.

“We failed to realize our moments, otherwise we could have won. Are you satisfied with the performance of the current Champions League season? Of course not. Our goal is to get into the playoffs. We have two games left, at home and in Spain, and we need to win both games to count on something. That is the goal. We will never give up and will try to make our dreams come true, ”Vlašić said.

Midfielder Ilzat Akhmetov admitted that the young army team was experiencing a psychological decline, but noted that he still enjoyed the game.

“I get high from the Champions League. From the hymn to the final whistle. Yes, the situation is not the easiest, because we need to win two matches to get to the Champions League playoffs. But we do not give up, and the points will be considered already in Madrid. We had a slight recession: tiredness accumulated. Inexperience affects, never so often did not play. But psychologically it only motivates. For each of us, this is an incentive to grow and progress, ”said the 20-year-old midfielder of CSKA.

And the Slovenian red-blue midfielder Yako Bijol does not share the optimism of team-mates. The football player admitted that the chances of reaching the playoffs of the tournament at CSKA are now minimal.

“The chances of continuing to play in the Champions League are not too high. But I think we can do a lot in the Europa League. I hope we will continue to play in the same spirit, adding from match to match, ”said Bijol.

“CSKA is a young but very talented team”

The players and the Roma coaching staff highly appreciated not only the level of the game of CSKA, but also the conditions of the match. So, about this after the game said the striker of the Italian team Justin Kluivert.

“A very hard game, CSKA is a great opponent. In many ways, managed to beat the army at the expense of a quick goal. That was the original game plan. The only thing that was a little embarrassing was the weather. It was very cold. But the stadium is cool. “Luzhniki” is a great arena! ”Said the Roma striker.

Italian head coach Eusebio Di Francesco also praised the young Russian team.

“We had a very difficult time. CSKA beat Real Madrid for a reason. This is a young but very talented team, which is perfectly able to use the space between the lines. As in the first match, I would single out Vlašic and Oblyakov. Extremely interesting players, "- believes the mentor" Roma ".

In addition, the Italian specialist said that he was dissatisfied with the actions of his players. According to Di Francesco, despite the character shown by the home team, his players had to act more aggressively and confidently.

“A year ago we reached the semi-finals, so we need to win brighter. We have problems with the approach to the game, the team needs to grow. In many ways, success provided a quick goal, but I would like us to score more in Moscow. However, this was not so easy to do. CSKA played with the crazy support of their fans, ”summed up the match Eusebio Di Francesco.