The Miners suffered a devastating loss in the UEFA Youth League
Head coach Shakhtar U-19 Alexey Belik commented on the defeat from Barcelona U-19 (0:3) in UEFA Youth League.
“The score speaks for itself. I can say that Barcelona converted their chances, but we didn’t. We had great moments when Anton Drozd missed the far post, opportunities from set pieces in which we had to act aggressively, and in the second half, after crosses, the players did not finish the ball in the opponent’s penalty area. You can blame everything on luck or lack thereof, I have a feeling that we didn’t play well. Perhaps the guys don’t believe it’s possible to beat Barcelona and Porto.”
“I tried to convey that today Lewandowski, Pedri or Gavi are not playing, but the same guys are playing, who are trying to improve every day. Based on the game, I can say that there are guys who do everything they should in difficult moments, and there are those who should take responsibility, but today they didn’t. Perhaps it’s my fault because I didn’t find the right approach.”
“Barcelona didn’t surprise me. Of course they are a high quality team that plays with the ball and has many talented and technical players, they have two or three squads. In this sense, they did not surprise us, I have a feeling that we could have achieved more in the matches with Barcelona and in the group. I won’t let the guys give up, we must fight to the end and get third place, even if it doesn’t give anything. Those who show desire and want to progress will play.”
“Not everything depends on us. When the situation was in our hands, we had to play more decisively and boldly. We will see how our opponents play, but no matter how the match turns out, this is not a reason to give up. Even if the last two games do not have tournament significance, we must not lose to Antwerp at home or Porto away.”
The miners were minimally inferior after the first half – Neil Caldero scored in the opening game. In the second half, goals from Daniel Rodriguez and Albert Navarro brought the score to a large one, and immediately after that, Alexei Belik’s team remained in the minority – Anton Glushchenko was sent off from the field.
Shakhtar U-19 suffered a third defeat in the group and remains third with three points. Barcelona continues to go without losses – the young Catalans have already secured their place in at least the 1/16 finals of the tournament.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ben Stock and I work in Athletistic as an author. My specialty is covering football news and other related topics. I have been writing for this website since the past 2 years, crafting compelling stories with the latest updates in the sports world. My articles have gained widespread appreciation amongst readers due to their accuracy and depth of research.
