In detail:
What is the taste you are left with following OLYMPIACOS first official fixture? Was it evident on the pitch that Plzen has played two official matches already?
“Firstly, we knew we were to face a tough opponent featuring Czech international players. We knew it was not going to be easy for us. We did want to display our quality on the turf, but we lacked some elements and failed to perform the way we expected. We were not sharp in our assists; we really lacked that and thus we failed to put our opponent in difficulty. The match was well balanced as it is usually the case in such ties. There were time periods they were better and others we had the upper hand. I think that nothing is over yet since we still have 90 minutes to play; I think the final result was fair. We still have 90 minutes to see who will qualify”.
Given that the match speeded up in the closing minutes, to what extent was OLYMPIACOS affected by the fact that you suffered an early substitution?
“The heat was unbearable and, as you can see, I am still sweating. Imagine how much the players were affected by that. Both teams strived to score a goal because they are both offensive-minded. There were times they made it tough for us. From 35′ until 55′, they passed the ball around neatly and put us in trouble, but then we brought the match into balance. Both sides went after a goal and the pace in the match was quite fast. We knew that this was how both teams were going to play and this had an impact on the match’s pace”.
