In detail here’s what Pedro Martins said on the press conference:
“I want to dedicate the victory to our assistant, our beloved Dimos, who lost his father. He’s a great kid, he’s always with us and we want to make him feel a little better”.
First, we would like you to explain to the Russians exactly what happened to them. Would you like to tell us if you have a preference for the 1st, 2nd or 4th pots, just to joke around a bit?
“No. I’m not going to answer a question like that. Nothing is over yet. Krasnodar lost at home to Porto, but away you saw what they did. They could even have scored in the end a fourth goal in Portugal. We must really keep this in our minds. We must continue with the same tactic and efficiency. We’re not going to make it easy on our opponent, by believing that everything is decided. We have to be equally dangerous on the 2nd leg before talking about the second match”.
In Greece we have the expression “magic wand”. What is your “wand” that allows us to see the Olympics 200-300% more prepared to excel in Europe?
“It’s work, not a magic wand. Work is what brings the results. All the players are dedicated and committed to doing what they need to do, we prepare the matches well and this is how the results appear. Olympiacos is difficult for any opponent to deal with, especially at home. The important thing is that we start our matches with intensity and this is something we have to keep so as to get good results. We are satisfied to have created this set of players and we prepare our matches in the best possible way”.
Yesterday you said that winning without conceding goals would be perfect. After all was the 4-0 perfect?
“Today’s match was very well-played on our part. I don’t deny that there’s a great advantage. But nothing is over yet. Everything comes from working. Today we managed to be very smart against a strong opponent. We were patient when we didn’t have ball possession. The opponent had very fast players that went on counter-attack. We took advantage of the moments when we had ball possession. Overall we played a smart game with patience. We accomplished our mission. This is very important, but we still have one match to play”.
How do you comment on the ovation you had from the fans?
“It is very positive that our work is acknowledged and that the fans are happy with the results. Things seem to be going well. We are at the beginning of a long season. We still have a long way to go. What I want to say to the players is to keep working until the end. This is a huge responsibility”.
Do you think that Olympiacos needs some new recruits to be competitive in the Champions League or are the players you have now enough?
“Everything that is discussed between me and the board stays there. There is no reason to have this debate now. It’s not over yet. Everyone saw what happened with Barcelona and Liverpool last year. It’s unethical to talk about players who are not here when we have players who have worked hard for us to achieve these results. They’re what we should be talking about”.
Your name will now also be heard in Portugal due to today’s result against a team that had eliminated Porto.
“I’ve proven my work in Portugal and I don’t think we need to go any further on that”.
You are humble and you build Olympiacos with perseverance and patience. What can this team reach?
“I am very happy to be here. I am very happy that what I am passionate about is my job and what I want is to get good results. That’s an extra motivation for me to continue my work”.
Quotes by Lazar Randjelovic
Lazar Randjelovic, talking to the cameras of COSMOTE TV, stated: “I am very happy with the result and I hope we repeat it in Russia. I am proud of my team. I very much want to do it again in Russia”.
Quotes by Ruben Semedo
Ruben Semedo, on his turn, talking to the camera of COSMOTE TV, said the following:
On the result: “It’s the consequence of working very well. We were very good against an important team. We are happy with the results of our effort, proving that both those on the pitch and those outside are able to help”.
On the big difference in the score: “In this competition every team is very good. We made a great effort and were just rewarded for our hard work preparing the match”.
On the defence: “This isn’t all because of me. Everyone who plays together in the defence does a great job. We are very happy with the results of our work”.
On whether Olympiacos is already in the group stage: “No, that’s not true. We still have the 2nd leg. We have to face it as if the aggregate was 0-0, because all matches are difficult”.
Quotes by Kostas Tsimikas
Kostas Tsimikas, talking to the cameras of One Channel, declared: “Qualification depends on us. We must go to Russia determined, focused and get to the next stage. We played very well. We imposed our own pace. The fans came and we want to go one step further all together. On the 2nd leg we have to impose our pace, to play smart and we will celebrate all together”.
