“Not at all our game”: what they said after the defeat of Spartak from Braga

"This is a big pain."

For the Spartak players, the defeat from Braga was a painful blow. Red and white players tried to leave the stadium unnoticed. Before reporters appeared only Esekiel Ponce and George Dzhikia.

The captain of Muscovites did not hide his disappointment with the result and noted that the team was sorely lacking in Guus Thiel and Jordan Larsson.

"Very disappointing. Not scored, not passed on. Upset, ridiculous goals for three minutes conceded. I don’t know how to explain it. And they could have won. Controlled the game, had good approaches. Til and Larsson are high-quality players, they were not enough today, but there are reasons for this, ”said the defender.

In addition, Jikia did not hide the fact that the intense schedule of Spartak affected the emotional and physical condition.

“Fatigue was felt at the end of the second half. Everyone wanted to get into the group, now there is nothing left but to count on the Cup and the championship. We’ll have time to recover to Zenit, with whom we play on Sunday, ”the footballer said.

According to Jikia, the upcoming meeting of the 8th round of the RPL with the club from St. Petersburg may become decisive for the current Spartak.

“This is a great chance to redeem for what happened in the match against Braga. I emphasize once again that we are very sorry that this happened. I apologize to the fans. Thanks to those who didn’t leave the match, who were with us at the stadium to the end, ”summarized the captain of the red and white.

Spartak striker Esekiel Ponce also spoke about the game with the champions of Russia. According to the Argentine striker, the team intends to win and rise to first place in the standings.

“Of course, we understand the importance of this match. Firstly, this is a principled opponent, and secondly, the game for six points, we have a good chance to break into the lead. We must try to do our best to achieve the result, now the main task is to approach it fresh and in a good mood, ”said Ponce.

In addition, Ponce summed up the meeting with the “Braga”. According to the striker, the team did everything in its power.

“A negative result is a big pain, because each of us wanted to play in the Europa League. In the first half there were two good points, but we were not able to use them and conceded two goals, after which it was already difficult to turn the match in our direction. When you need to recoup, emotions sometimes overwhelm, and you begin to make mistakes. Nevertheless, the first half we started well, created the moments. In both matches we did our best, ”the player summed up.

“Anxious for the match with Zenit”

However, the opinion of the current Spartak players was not shared by the former red-white players. According to experienced veterans, the team made unacceptable mistakes and could not demonstrate the class that the Moscow club was traditionally famous for.

So, the ex-striker of the metropolitan team Valery Reingold attacked sharply not only the players, but also the coaching staff.

"I am ashamed. Shame and disgrace. Lost two hours watching this match. They will now begin to ask for forgiveness, but I do not need their forgiveness. They must work on the field, plow, this is Spartak. What happened is complete disrespect for the viewer, for ourselves. Shame on the whole team and coaching staff. It’s better to refuse the Europa League, do not stick your head out, because it was just disgusting and unpleasant to look at you, ”Sport 24 quotes the expert.

Concern about the condition of the team was expressed by the owners of the club. The main shareholder of Spartak, Leonid Fedun, refrained from commenting, but his father Arnold spoke to reporters after the match.

“Not at all our game. Good luck seemed to have turned away. The main football rule worked - when you don’t score, they hammer you. We did not use our moments. We had three of them, but not one worked. To be honest, it’s alarming for the match with Zenit. I looked at the players - they barely move their legs, ”Arnold Fedun said after the match.

Former Muscovite captain Andrei Tikhonov linked the defeat of his former team with his rival class, as well as the forced absence of Dutch midfielder Guus Thiel.

Spartak showed character, but this is not enough. The meeting showed that the skill of the Braga players is simply higher than the level of our players, while the Portuguese did not show any outstanding game, they just started from the result of the first match. This was psychologically easier for them. The absence of Guus Til, who can’t play in the Europa League, but at the same time participates in the matches of the Russian Championship, was influenced by the game’s pattern, ”Tikhonova quoted TASS as saying.

The famous sports journalist Vasily Utkin noted that Spartak could not break into the group stage of the Europa League due to missed opportunities in the transfer market. In addition, the commentator asked the club owner to think about refusing the possible acquisition of the Slavia midfielder Alex Kral.

“Do you really want to splurge on Kral from Slavia?” I was impressed with how Nail Umyarov entered the game. Two wonderful passes in attack, blocked goal kick. The body is no longer a boy, but a husband. He is a strong guy. And, by the way, for some reason they bought it in the winter and have been in the team for six months now. You have sharply fewer matches, you are late with all the newcomers. That's why they flew out. Let Umyarov play, to hell with Kral. Money will come in handy, ”Utkin wrote in his Telegram.

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Parabéns pela estreia na @europaleague, “mágico” @ lucas_souza3! 🤹‍♂️🃏🇧🇷

Posted by Sporting Clube de Braga ⚔️ (@sportingclubedebraga) Aug 29, 2019 at 1:45 PDT

On the personnel policy of “Spartak” drew the attention of the former red-white striker Sergei Yuran. According to the former Spartak player, some of the players did not live up to their hopes.

“With all due respect, but some players do not match the level of the team. I don’t want to give my last names, but I can’t be silent about Mirzov. I don’t know by what principle they are invited. At Spartak, the top scorer is now the defender. This has not happened in history. Probably, these are not bells ringing, but bells, ”Sport 24 quotes Juran.