Moscow Lokomotiv suffered a fourth defeat in a row in the Champions League group stage, losing to Porto with a score of 1: 4. Thus, the wards of Yuri Semin not only lost their chances of reaching the playoffs of the tournament, but also established several anti-records at once.
The railroad workers repeated the fate of the English Blackburn, becoming the second team in history, which, when sown, was in the first basket, but after four matches, missed the opportunity to continue the fight for the main European trophy. In addition, the team of Yuri Semin showed one of the worst results among Russian clubs after two-thirds of the distance, not having scored a single point and conceding 11 goals. The last time Moscow Spartak looked just as unfortunate in this segment in the 2002/03 season.
“There was no balance in attack and defense”
All this could not have a positive effect on the mood of the coaching staff and the players of Lokomotiv. Team coach Yuri Semin was forced to admit that the outcome of the meeting was largely influenced by the mistakes made by his players, as well as the significant difference in class between the rivals.
“Several factors at once affected the performance, including nerves and lack of experience. We were punished for every mistake, but we could not do it. There were many combinations, a good game in the attack. But there was no balance in attack and defense. And the Champions League does not forgive this. Here the players are of the highest level, ”the Championship quotes a specialist.
Acknowledging his shortcomings, the coach paid tribute to his opponent. Among the players of Porto, he singled out midfielders Jesus Corona and Yasin Braimi, as well as striker Moussa Maregu, who surpassed Lokomotiv players in speed.
Many blamed the coach for being too careful and unwilling to take risks. However, Semin explained that in the circumstances, he did not have the opportunity to increase the number of attackers on the field.
“I did not see the point in this. Non-attackers determine the sharpness of the game, as opposed to attacks from the depths. It would make sense if we had a total advantage in the possession. Therefore, I did not leave Eder, releasing Fyodor Smolov, ”the mentor noted.
In addition, the specialist lamented the lack of stability in the line of defense.
“Constant permutations strongly influence the game in defense, but this is the situation: some are injured, others are disqualified. New combinations of defenders are born on the eve of meetings ", - quotes the words of Semin" Sport-Express ".
However, Lokomotiv still has chances to reach the Europa League. Semin assured that the team is not going to give up, despite the failure in the Champions League.
The defeat of the players themselves recognized the defeat. So, striker Antonio Eder noted the coordinated actions of compatriots on the field.
“The rival was very strong. They did not make mistakes, and we paid for the mistakes that we made in defense. This is a bad result, but Porto is a very competitive team, in the image of its coach, ”the footballer said.
He remained solidary and midfielder Manuel Fernandes. According to him, the colossal support of the stands has had a positive effect on the game of the Portuguese team.
“Once again, Porto scored a quick goal against Lokomotiv. They understood that they would be stronger in their stadium. Unfortunately, we lost our chances of reaching the 1/8 finals of the Champions League. However, Lokomotiv has two games and the opportunity to get into the Europa League. We need to focus on this task, ”the player added.
His colleague on the role of Jefferson Farfan also urged to leave the failure in the past.
“It was a tough match against a team that has an excellent attack, and the missed goal made it even harder. We tried to score, but we had few moments. In meetings with “Galatasaray” and “Schalke 04” we will play as in the final. We have to do our part and achieve a positive result, ”the UEFA press service quotes the midfielder.
"There were problems in communication between defense counsel"
A different atmosphere reigned in the camp of the winners. However, despite the general joy, Porto's head coach, Sergio Conceição, noted that his wards didn’t have everything as smoothly as he would have liked.
“In each game, you can do something better, fix something. We had some problems in communication between the defenders. Therefore, the opponent sometimes quite easily ran into the attack. This happened in the previous match in Moscow. At the same time, in the last two games of the championship, we practically did not give anything to our rivals, ”he explained.
After four meetings, Porto leads in Group D. However, according to Conceisau, it is too early for his players to think about the Champions League playoffs.
"The door to the decisive stage is not yet open, we must maintain our mood in the next match with Schalke and try to finish in first place in the group," the mentor said in the club's official Twitter.
In turn, team captain Hector Herrera admitted that he was pleased with the performance of “Porto” in the current Champions League.
“I always want to go on the field, especially in such important matches like this one. We have a strong group. All rivals are very good, ”said the footballer.