AEL defeated Krasava ENY 3-1 at the “Alphamega Stadium” in the 9th matchday of the Cyprus League by Stoiximan.
Hugo Martins commented on the difficulty of the match as well as his players’ performance, noting that there are no guaranteed points in the league. On the visitors’ side, Romo pointed out his players’ mistakes and their inability to finish plays.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Highlights of what was said:
Hugo Martins (AEL): “Good evening. As we knew during preseason, we expected a difficult game against a team that’s in last place, but in their previous match they drew with the top-ranked team. This means that in this league, no points are guaranteed, and the players put on a good performance.
After going up 2-0, we struggled a bit for no apparent reason, but in the end we managed to score one more goal. Every time we win, we win by a two-goal margin—I hope we can keep it up.
It’s been a tough season because we lost two forwards within 15 minutes of the first game: Kafu committed a major “offense” and was suspended for eight games. We couldn’t count on Szoké this year, and he’s an important player. You know the player, Jovetić—we lost him for the last two games during preseason. So, despite all these absences, I believe these players put in a very good performance; they prepared well.
We expected a four-man line from the opponent, but the pressure was a little different, so that presented a challenge for us. I think the players figured it out during the game, and we adjusted our approach: sometimes with three, sometimes with two plus two, and sometimes with four, with the fullbacks positioned a bit lower, trying in this way to be more unpredictable.”
Fernández Romo (Krasava ENY): “I’d like to congratulate the opposing coach on his team’s victory. We had a poor performance; we started well and were in control. Butnik’s play was decisive—we missed the opportunity, and then we conceded the goal.
After that, the difference was in the score, not in how the game played out. We could have maintained possession and made life difficult for our opponent. We made mistakes; we didn’t finish our own chances. You can’t win with those kinds of mistakes.
We need to keep working hard. Before today’s match, we were undefeated in our previous four games—including the Cup—and had been playing well. We’ll review our mistakes during the break.”
Andreas Karos (AEL): “We were the better team in the first half; in the second half and toward the end, they put pressure on us—that’s to be expected. The important thing is that we scored three goals and got the win.
We take it one game at a time; we always want the win, and we’re looking ahead. No game is easy; every match has its own unique challenges. I’m happy to be back with a goal and a win; an injury had set me back, but now I can help the team.”
