Olympiacos drew 2–2 in the away game against Bačka Topola for the 2nd matchday of the UEFA Europa League group stage. Following the end of the game, the coach of the “red-and-whites,” Diego Martínez, referred to the suspension of Andreas Ndoj, as well as the team’s missed opportunities.
In detail, quotes by the Spanish coach of Olympiacos:
Now that it’s been some time since the end of the game, has Olympiacos understood what has happened, going from the 0–2 to leaving here with one point?
We are very dissatisfied and hurt. We started strong and united and were winning 2–0 and deserved to reach 3–0 – we were superior during most of the match. Once we conceded the first goal, we lost our calm and we lost control after the suspension. This match has left us disappointed and hurt. We did not take advantage of our good moments and did not score many goals. In Europe, you pay for your mistakes, and we made many mistakes.
Do you think Ndoj’s suspension affected the continuity of the match?
Ndoj’s suspension was indeed decisive. We were guests in a stadium where you have to be careful, the red card was a strict one. The opponent took advantage of the situation and we did not manage to stand tall. Regretfully, this affected the situation in a game during which we were better for the three quarters.
Does it trouble you that the opponent created some dangerous situations? Also, was Podence’s substitution due to injury?
We really should have been more blistering in the many opportunities we had, especially in the first half. But that’s our team, we place a lot of players at the front and we receive counterattacks. However, this is something we have faced on other occasions and we have dealt with these situations well. We conceded the goal after the substitutions of Solbakken and Jovetić. The substitutions were made because we had to freshen up our players, as you said, we were being counterattacked.
Did you underestimate your opponent especially after the 0–2?
In no way did we underestimate the opponent – we said it yesterday and during today’s speech to the players. They are a team with good transfers in their game and that’s why I say we should have taken advantage of our opportunities. In no way did we underestimate the opponent. We have the utmost respect for our opponent, it’s something we have been constantly saying since before the match.
