“The Champions League will come to this city more than once”: what they said after the defeat of “Krasnodar” from “Olympiakos”

“By going to Porto, we could have performed much better.”

The confrontation with Olympiacos in the Champions League playoff round, unfortunately, brought Krasnodar only negative emotions. After an incredible victory over Porto, it seemed that the southerners would pass the vice-champion of Greece, but Murad Musaev’s wards suffered two painful defeats with a total score of 1: 6 and flew out of the main European Cup, stopping a step away from the group stage of the tournament.

Moreover, the return match began for the Russian team more than successfully. The hosts opened an account in the tenth minute. However, literally in the next attack, Olympiacos recouped, and Krasnodar had to score five more goals in order to get through the Greek club. In fact, this was a verdict for the team. Musaev’s assistant, Sergei Matveev, struggled to find words at a post-match press conference.

“The game started very well for us. We planned to start it so cheerfully. The main thing was to score a quick ball and then not to miss. Of course, the return goal slowed down all our impulses. The game was moving smoothly by the time when everything became clear to everyone, ”Matveyev said after the meeting.

“Of course, we tried, thought and believed. This is not to say that they completely stopped the game. There were good approaches and penalties, it is a pity that they could not change anything. Olympiacos is a good team, but having passed such a strong club as Porto, we could have performed much better, ”he said.

An additional nuisance for the southerners was the injury of Magomed-Shapi Suleymanov that he received in the first half. A few minutes after a collision with one of the rivals, the young inmate of the club was unable to continue the game and was forced to ask for a replacement. Nothing is known about the severity of the damage.

It remains to add that even before the first match with Olympiacos, the captain and main central defender of Krasnodar Alexander Martynovich was out of order, and in the course of the game, the eminent rookie Remy Cabella, around whom in the future it was planned to build the team’s game.

“Suleymanov now went to the hospital to have an MRI. Doctors previously diagnose a severe bruise. We have no other information yet, ”said Matveyev.

The trainer also complained about the too heavy workload of the team's players, who recently had to spend two matches a week.

“We don’t complain, because we were preparing for such a calendar, but many players dropped out of the squad. Unfortunately, this greatly influenced the opportunities for rotation. We will not discount any tournaments. The team will try to perform well in the RPL and the Europa League. We hope that in the near future Ari and Martynovich will join us, who will be able to help. A pause on the national teams will give us the opportunity to rest and gather our thoughts. It is necessary to enter a new game segment with new forces, a good mood and an understanding of what to do next, ”added Matveev.

He also explained the absence of goalkeeper Matvey Safonov and striker Ivan Ignatiev at the base of the rotation and thanked the fans for their support.

“Even in the end, when everything seemed to be clear, any moment at the gates of someone else caused a storm of emotions. I want people to not stop believing in us. Of course, I would also like to thank our players who gave all their energy to the field, their desire was visible, but, unfortunately, we did not have the strength in such a difficult schedule, ”the specialist noted.

"Krasnodar" is a strong team, these games turned out to be difficult for us. "

In turn, the mentor of Olympiacos Pedro Martins was in a good mood after the match. He headed the Piraeus club only in July and immediately managed to bring the team to the group stage of the Champions League. Moreover, in addition to “Krasnodar”, the Greek team went through the vice-champions of the Czech Republic and Turkey - “Victoria Plzen” and “Istanbul Bashaksehir”, respectively.

Krasnodar is a strong team that achieves high results in the Russian championship. It's always great to play with such strong opponents. These games turned out to be difficult for us. Going into the group stage of the Champions League is important for Olympiacos for many reasons. First of all, it helps to understand the capabilities and strength of the team, because in Greece there are many clubs that are similar to us on the principle of organization, ”Martins said.

During the post-match press conference, he also emphasized that he watched with great pleasure the high-quality game of the wards.

“We are happy that Olympiacos managed to succeed in such an important tournament. I am glad that we were able to show on the field what we practiced in training. We will continue to prepare and work in the same direction. We are pleased with today's result. Now the team is in a good mood and is ready to continue the fight, ”summed up Martins.

“For us it is an experience”

As for the players, the Krasnodar players, for obvious reasons, were not eager to communicate with the press. However, a couple of questions were answered by the young striker Ivan Ignatiev, who replaced on the second half. He emphasized that the team should draw the necessary conclusions from the outcome of the confrontation with Olympiacos.

“For us, this is probably an experience, first of all. It is very disappointing that everything happened so. Thanks a lot to our fans who, in spite of everything, support us, believe in the team. I think the Champions League will come to this city more than once. Everything will be fine, ”the forward expressed hope.

Journalists could not help but inquire of him about Suleymanov’s health.

“I don’t know what happened to him. But I managed to talk with Magomed-Shapi. As I understand it, he unsuccessfully fell on his rib, and something inside hurts, ”Ignatiev said.

Also, two legionnaires of Krasnodar, Tonni Villena and Jon Goodni Fjoluson, talked with reporters. The first complained about bad luck and noted that the owners needed to better realize their moments.

“We got tired in the second half, plus we were very much psychologically pressured by the need to score a lot of goals. After the return goal of Olympiacos, we needed as many as five. We could not think of anything else, we tried to just win. Of course, we left a lot of strength on the field, but we still have time before Sunday to manage to recover for the RPL match, ”the Championship midfielder quotes.

In addition, the footballer noted that Krasnodar was not weaker than Olympiakos.

“Both matches have evolved differently. In the end, all, unfortunately, was not in our favor. The first match we spent, being not in good physical shape, played not very well. Score on the scoreboard - 0: 4. It was clear that to go further you need to score 4-5 goals. Today, after the guests recouped and then scored another goal, it was difficult to change something, it is almost impossible, ”added Villena.

In turn, Fioluson said that together with his partners he had left all his strength on the field, but the team was let down by a loss of concentration and a certain fatigue.

“We must take into account that on Saturday we had a game against Lokomotiv, where we also did a good job. Today in the end it was noticeable how hard it was to act in such a schedule. In the second half, there was less and less time, it was still necessary to score a lot of goals. This game was hard for us. I repeat, today we left all our strength on the field, but this was not enough. Now there are several days to recover and prepare for the match on Sunday. I think there will be no problems, ”the Icelander summed up the game.

As part of Olympiakos, Russian fans are better acquainted with Mathieu Valbuena, who previously played for Dynamo, better than anyone else. In the confrontation with “Krasnodar”, an experienced Frenchman did everything for the victory of the new team, but after the return game he paid tribute to the opponent.

“We had two cool meetings. They took a big step when they won 4-0 at home. They knew that in Russia the first 15 minutes would be difficult, and even missed. But we managed to answer with our goal scored, withstand the pressure and win. I feel great pride. It is also worth noting that Krasnodar has a magnificent stadium. I played against this team as part of Dynamo, but now I have experienced completely different impressions. I wish the southerners success in the Europa League. This team has a great future, ”Valbuen quotes Match TV.