Figures shows that Olympiacos was better, yet your side failed to win. How do you explain that?
“Not only did Olympiacos fail to win, but we also lost the match. We were better in all these aspects as you mentioned, but not in goal-scoring. We were not better at that. Tonight, it was indeed a match in which Olympiacos had more chances, yet we conceded a goal by mistake. Having said that, the tie is not over. It is true that we don’t like this result, but we still have another 90 minutes to earn this qualification”..
So, do you think that this defeat was mainly due to tough luck couple with some individual mistakes?
“Yes, one could say that since we had some clear chances to score and we could have converted them. We were unlucky against the woodwork and Roberto’s mistake cost us a goal. One could say that’s what happened. Football is not always fair. We are the ones to prove our value. Winner is the one who is more effective and makes less mistakes. What we have to do is to materialize on the pitch all the possibilities we got”.
It is 180 minutes since Olympiacos’ last goal. How can you solve this problem, since your side needs at least one return-match goal to level tonight’s scoreline.
“It is true that we haven’t scored for 180 minutes and we have been non-effective. Against AEK, we also had our share of chances. We also committed many mistakes; we have to correct what’s wrong. We have to avail ourselves of the opportunities we have, because in football one has to score in order to win the match”.
To what extend had your original plan been affected by the fact that some players, like Pardo, were sidelined? Moreover, will Siovas be available for the return match?
“We missed some players and Siovas was added in this list. However, a squad is not just individual players. it would have been better if we had had them with us. We have 26 players, we always must have alternatives and one should know how to handle that. Apart from the injuries we had, we also had had Omar out and we hope to have him back in the return match, together with some of the players who didn’t play tonight. I would like to seize the opportunity given to me and thank our fans for their support; I want to tell them that we will give everything and try to turn this tie around. This is the promise we can give”.
