Olympiacos coach, José Luis Mendilibar, in the press conference following the 1-1 draw against Athens Kallithea away from home, focused on the fact that despite the chances Olympiacos had, they couldn’t score a second goal to secure the win.
The press conference of the experienced coach in detail:
We saw a match where Olympiacos completely controlled proceedings and conceded a goal from the only chance their opponent had.
This happens when you don’t score the second goal and can’t defend effectively, leaving the opponent with an opportunity to attack in the final minutes of the game. We gave away a corner, which shouldn’t have happened, especially at a moment when we were controlling the game. Two of our players went to collect the ball, and we cleared it for a corner. That’s football; sometimes things happen that are inexplicable.
Regarding the Athens Kallithea goal, the scorer got a header unchallenged—was that a matter of concentration?
I don’t think it was a lack of concentration at that moment; I think it was more about nervousness. It was the only dangerous situation for the opponent in the last minutes of the game, and the only shot on target. At that moment, the concentration was excessive, bordering on nervousness, which made us anxious, and we didn’t know how to control it because it was the only threat they posed. But it was indeed dangerous.
We see Olympiacos focused in derbies and European matches, but losing points in easier games.
I don’t think this was a game where Olympiacos didn’t do enough to win. We did everything right, we were dominant and controlled the game, we tried to score a second goal, but it didn’t happen because we lacked precision. We gave one opportunity to the opponent, and they took advantage of it, and that led to the result. It wasn’t a game where we weren’t focused or careful. It’s something that happens to all teams; we saw AEK, PAOK, and Panathinaikos also win by narrow margins, 1-0. All teams experience this. I don’t think it was a game where we did anything less than in the matches we’ve won; the opponent plays too, and we must stay alert. What we failed to do was score a second goal.
