“We are looking forward to winning the return match”

The match with Braga turned out to be extremely ambiguous for Spartak. On the one hand, the red and white lost with a minimum score, on the other, they could well have taken a draw from Portugal. As a result, a ten-minute failure at the end of the meeting resolved everything, during which the guests missed the only ball. In any case, the coach of the Russian team Oleg Kononov, after the final whistle, emphasized that the fate of the confrontation has not yet been decided.

“Hard match. Lost with a minimum score. In general, the game was equal, but we did not bring the attack to its logical conclusion, we made a lot of mistakes. As for the defense, in principle, they acted strictly with the exception of the goal episode. Who is guilty? Let's figure it out. But in general, they made a mistake in the initial stage of the attack, ”said the coach.

However, he did not hide the fact that the match with CSKA, which took place on Monday, affected the physical condition of the wards.

“We spent the hardest derby, gave a lot of energy, and then another five-hour flight followed with a change of time zones, again the high temperature - of course, it was not easy for us. But in the end they pushed the opponent to the goal, which means that they still have strength, ”Kononov added.

The coach also explained the essence of the substitutions made by him and told why he left Ponce on the pitch.

“I made two replacements. Maybe it was necessary to remove Esekiel, but since the match was equal, I wanted to make just such castling. Does Mirzov have no mutual understanding with other players? I would not like to analyze the actions of individual players. Yes, we lost, but we still have a chance in Moscow, ”Kononov emphasized.

Finally, the Spartak helmsman compared the general state of affairs in domestic and Portuguese football.

“Has Russian football become weaker?” I can not evaluate the game of other teams. But if you look at the results, they are unsatisfactory. Everyone understands this. But look at the same Portuguese football. There is a very strong team, and local clubs have won many European trophies. For Spartak, the result of the match with Braga is unacceptable, but given the defeat with a minimum score, we are going to fight and are ready to win the return match, ”summed up Kononov.

In turn, the mentor of “Braga” Ricardo Sa Pintu rejoiced both in the result of the meeting and in the game plan, which his players completed.

Spartak is a dangerous team. Their strategy was to unexpectedly put the ball into the game and speed breaks. They make good use of the opponent’s mistakes. But we did half the battle. Our plan was exactly this: not to miss and score the ball. They achieved what they wanted. But in Moscow it will be difficult for us, because the opponent will play much bolder. I hope that we will be able to use the space and realize our moments, ”cites Sa Pinto A Bola with reference to Sport TV.

Braga wasn’t surprised at all. ”

The defeat in Portugal and the players of Spartak are not considered a verdict. After the game, they unanimously emphasized that red-white is quite capable of passing Braga. Insisted on this and the team captain George Jikia.

“In the episode with a missed ball, there was a serve from the flank, then there was a kick, and the ball flew into the goal. I can not say that emotionally burned out after the derby. Of course, we were glad about the victory over CSKA, but this should already be left in the past. Soon a return game awaits us, nothing critical has happened. Braga wasn’t surprised at all, I think everything will be fine at home. At the beginning of the games, we often sway hard, but I can’t say that everyone is tired. Fatigue is felt, but there is no such thing that the forces have completely abandoned, ”cites Dzhikiya“ Championship ”.

Much more categorical was another defender of Spartak Andrei Yeshchenko.

“At first it wasn’t very usual to play, because in Moscow there is no such weather. But both the field and the opponent allowed to keep the ball. We did not think that the Braga would go on the defensive. Expected on their part more action, pressure. Then we began to rebuild, began to combine. Only the last pass was missing. Instead of beating two defenders, it was necessary to give a decisive transfer. “Spartak” had approaches to the goal. And in the episode with a missed ball, we were simply caught on a counterattack, free zones appeared. I think we just did not believe in ourselves. It was necessary to calmly play the pass and beat this team, ”the footballer complained.

According to him, Spartak should not be afraid of an opponent of this level.

Braga wasn’t surprised at all. Yes, the opponent has good technical footballers. But we thought that they would put more pressure and attack. And even if they included pressure, we calmly passed it through the pass. Therefore, if we do not pass such a “Braga”, it will be a disaster. We need to believe in ourselves, and in Moscow we will surely achieve the result, ”said Yeshchenko.

He talked with reporters and Ponce, who had a not very successful game and, moreover, missed a couple of dangerous moments.

“The result is negative for us, of course, I wanted a different outcome, although we understood that we would meet decent resistance from the opponent, because Braga is a very good team, played. Nevertheless, we still have the match in Moscow, we hope to take revenge, ”the Argentine promised.

Besides the fact that Ponce did not score, in several episodes he openly overexposed the ball, for example, in the first half, when Esekiel inaccurately shot himself instead of giving the transfer to Mirzov.

“This is absolutely a game moment, there are no egoists in the team. I took the game upon myself, as there wasn’t much time to think. In general, the match turned out to be difficult, it is difficult to play on the defensive without a ball. I tried to act as simple as possible, but in one moment I shot higher, and in the other - I couldn’t make a difference. We will continue to work, ”added the striker.