Ricardo Sa Pinto appeared at the press conference with mixed emotions following Pafos’ 3-3 draw with Salzburg and their elimination from the Europa League
On the one hand, the Portuguese coach said he was proud of his players’ effort; on the other, he acknowledged that defensive lapses in the second half “undid” all the hard work that had come before. At the same time, he set his sights on qualifying for the Conference League group stage, making it clear that he respects every opponent. Finally, he emphasized that the “blue” team must learn from their mistakes and correct them.
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Here’s what he said in detail: “Those 10–15 minutes cost us the game. I told my players that they’ll try to turn the game around. They have quality. We lost our focus; the team played an amazing game against a very good team. But those 10 minutes cost us the game. We didn’t deserve to lose like that—it’s a shame. I’m proud of my players, their mindset, and the way they played. We had great scoring opportunities, and we need to capitalize on those chances and close out the game. We’ll keep working, making adjustments, and fixing the little things that are costing us. We wanted to advance in the Europa League, but we’ve learned our lesson.”
On our opponents in the Conference League: “We respect every opponent. Our mindset doesn’t change, whether the opponent is Real Madrid or a lower-tier team. We’ll study the opponent and play with the same passion.”
On whether the absences (Zaza, Kina, Koreia) played a role: “Yes, of course; they’re very important players for the team. But you have to make do with what you have, and today those who played gave it their all. The same was true for the goalkeepers (Gorter – Kyriakidis). My options right now are limited; I have a lot of young players. We need to rest and analyze our opponents.”
On whether the team will play with the same philosophy in domestic competitions:
“Why not—and even better? The goal is clear. To fight for every title; our goals don’t change, regardless of the competition.”
On whether the team needs further reinforcement: “Yes, we’re working to bring more players into the team.”
