Moscow “Lokomotiv” on the road got the better of Leverkusen Bayer and for the first time in its history started with a victory in the Champions League. Railway workers twice upset goalkeeper rival Lukash Gradecki, and goals were scored by midfielders Grzegorz Krychowiak and Dmitry Barinov. Thus, the red-green ones at least repeated their result in last year's tournament draw, when they scored three points in six meetings.

Lokomotiv played unmistakably in defense

After the match, the mentor of the Russian team Yuri Semin was in high spirits, but answered the questions with extreme restraint. In particular, an experienced coach told how he set up his players to confront Bayer and admitted why he let Murilo into the position of a defensive midfielder. In addition, the specialist recalled when Lokomotiv won the last time away in the Champions League.

- Before meeting with Bayer, few believed in the success of Lokomotiv. How did you manage to instill faith in your wards?

- Through the right choice of game, discipline. Through the fact that matches need to be held at maximum. Today we acted well without the ball, and therefore won. Well done guys. We can talk, but it is the football players who bring this to life on the field.

- Leverkusenz made a lot of mistakes. Expected this?

- These are their mistakes. The opponent dictated the course of the meeting due to possession of the ball. In my opinion, Lokomotiv played unmistakably in defense, with the exception of the goal. The task and tactical developments are one thing, the performers are another. The main characters are football players. I want to thank them very much.

- Why did you decide to release Murilo in the base zone?

- After the Miranchuk injuries, we had no particular options. As it turned out, it was the right decision. Murilo played well. He already acted in this position, but it was in Lokomotiv that he did not go to the support zone either during training or during the test matches. Well done - he played from the sheet and did what we asked. He should have been in front of the two central defenders, where Bayer plays the ball great.

- Who else was particularly impressed?

- Barinov and Krykhovyak looked very strong, who managed to destroy and attack.

- Is it possible to say that this success was rather a coincidence?

This is the 301st random victory. Let’s better pay attention to the calendar. How can I play synthetics in Orenburg after such a meeting at 11:30 in the morning? Only have breakfast at this time. And we still need to fly. Why not touch on this topic?

- Can you remember when Lokomotiv won the last time away in the Champions League?

- The match with Galatasaray when Vadim Evseev scored? What to remember the old - you need to live new. Today's victory will be more serious. But we do not need to look far ahead - it is necessary to prepare for 11:30 in the morning in Orenburg. At the moment, this is the most important.

“We sat on the theory for 1 hour 15 minutes”

Grzegorz Krychowiak became one of the main characters of the first Lokomotiv guest victory in the Champions League in 17 years. The midfielder not only became the author of the first goal against Gradecki, but also generally held the match at the highest level. The Pole acted great in the selection, practically did not make a mistake and regularly created sharpness in the attack.

“We won, scored three points, this is now the most important. We started well, let's go first. It’s too early to talk about the chances of reaching the playoffs, only one match has passed, we still have to meet with Juventus and Atlético. We will fight to the end, ”Krykhovyaka quotes TASS.

According to the Polish midfielder, the absence of injured Anton and Alexei Miranchuk forced the rest of the red-greens to show their maximum on the field.

“Of course, they are important members of the team. Now we played well on the defensive, but we had a lot of chances to score. The whole team played perfectly, ”said Krykhovyak.

Also, the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder congratulated Barinov on his first goal in European competition and said that the Bayer gate guard had made a mistake.

“Glad he scored. We, as a whole team, organized high pressure. It helped to distinguish himself twice ”, concluded Grzegorz.

In turn, Barinov admitted that the railroad “left the field” all the forces, and also told Semin’s secret.

“Of course, I'm very glad I scored. I'll tell you the trump card of Palych: yesterday we sat on the theory for 1 hour and 15 minutes. We disassembled the game of the opponent and each player. Today they expected mistakes from them, ”Barinov said on Match TV.

It is worth recalling that by the 25th minute of the reporting match, units were on the scoreboard, and one of the reasons for this was an offensive cut by Loko defender Benedikt Hövedes. The 2014 World Champion unsuccessfully put his foot under the blow of Charles Arangis and sent the ball into his own goal.

“How great it is to return to your native places - just a fairy tale! I used to live in Düsseldorf, where our hotel was, and it's only 45 minutes from where I grew up. I was very happy to be home, ”the UEFA press service quoted Hövedes as saying.

According to the German, after defeating Bayer, he can humorously answer questions about his own goal, but at that moment he was “beside himself with rage”.

“The blindfold played against me. The doctor warned me that it would be uncomfortable with her, and suggested putting on a mask. She definitely prevented me from evaluating what was happening on the field, so I plucked it in the second half, ”concluded Höwedes.

As the Lokomotiv midfielder Rifat Zhemaletdinov admitted, the secret to success lies in concentration and tactics.

“They did not give the opponent anything to do in the middle, so they played more through the flanks. Bayer brought two goals to itself, and we scored for ourselves. In the end it was hard, but on the whole there was enough strength. Changed with the flanks with João Mario at the prompting of the coach, ”said the midfielder.

Zhemaletdinov admitted that at the end of the match the team was a bit “physically hooked”, so there was no strength to organize striking counterattacks. In addition, the athlete said that he and his partners spoke in the locker room after the final whistle: “Handsome” in different languages. ”

This is not my last mistake

Unlike Semin, the team mentor from Leverkusen was not so verbose. Peter Bosos lost to Lokomotiv and extended his not-so-pleasant series in the confrontation with Russian teams. So, last season, “aspirin” under his leadership lost to “Krasnodar” in the playoffs of the Europa League.

“Today's defeat is a huge disappointment. We wanted to successfully perform at home, in front of our fans, but especially in the first half, we made many mistakes. Especially in cases where they missed. We were not like ourselves. Typically, blots happen, but not in such numbers, ”Bosa quotes Tuttomercatoweb.

The mentor of the Aspirins also commented on Gradetsky’s gross mistake in the episode with Barinov’s goal.

“He is one of those players who help us out in matches. After today's mistake in the first half, I asked the guys to help him and score a goal, ”admitted the specialist.

Gradecki himself said that the Bayer players are saddened by the opening meeting of the Champions League, and he is very upset because of his mistake.

“I made a stupid mistake. I tried to play the ball, because owning it is one of the elements of our style. We strive to provide maximum control, so sometimes our game looks risky. I would like to say something else, but this will not be my last mistake, ”the goalkeeper said.

According to him, Bayer looked its best opponent, and one of the key moments was the episode at the beginning of the second half. According to him, the home team had to compare the score, but could not take advantage of the great opportunity.

“It will be necessary to learn a lesson from our mistakes and from how mercilessly we were punished for them. We played a little nervously, without our usual confidence. But you can’t hang your nose. We are still able to take some points in this group. ” - added Gradetsky.

Similar thoughts were with the captain of the “Lions” Lars Bender. According to him, Bayer footballers were expecting victory over Lokomotiv.

“We constantly created danger at the gates of others, but just could not score anymore. We are all human, and we all make mistakes. I'm not going to blame anyone. We have to go through this as a team, ”concluded Bender.