Sport24.az
"Qarabag" played the second leg of the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League today. The team led by Gurban Gurbanov defeated "Shelbourne" 1:0 and qualified for the next stage. Sport24.az reports that after the game, "Shelbourne" head coach John O'Brien answered journalists' questions:
- Although you lost 0:3 in the first game, you took less risk today, playing with 5 defenders. Didn't you want to lose by a bigger score?
- We played the first game like this too. We had a lot of defenders then too. It was a big stadium, we were playing in a heavy atmosphere. We wanted it to be 0:0 in the first half so that we could make changes in the second half.
- Which opponent would you like to play in the next stage, FCSB or "Shkendija"?
- We hadn't thought about it until now. We were focused on this game. Both are strong.
- Do you see the potential for "Qarabag" to reach the league stage of the Champions League?
- "Qarabag" has that experience. They have been playing in European Cups for years. They have good players. The games will get tougher and tougher.
- What do you see as the reason for your defeat? Did you not play well, or was "Qarabag" strong?
- We had scoring chances in the second half in Dublin. We made mistakes and conceded goals. We also prepared well for today's game. Unfortunately, it was the goal we conceded at the end of the first half. We could have equalized, but it didn't work out.
- Do you think you chose the right tactics against "Qarabag"?
- I'm not making many mistakes. We had chances after 1:0. Against teams like "Qarabag" there is not much need to make tactical changes.
