From the special reporter "Vijesti"
Buducnost failed to avoid defeat against Noa (1:0) tonight in the first match of the 1st round of Champions League qualifying, but despite that, there is great hope of qualifying for the next round.
The "Blues" lost 1:0 in Abovyan, have an active result before the second leg in Podgorica and will decide everything on home soil next Tuesday (21).
The coach of the Montenegrin champion, Nenad Lalatović, said at a press conference that his team did not deserve to lose and called on fans in Podgorica to fill the stadium next week.
"I congratulate both teams on the game. I don't think we deserved the defeat, the rival only had one shot on target and scored because we didn't block well. On the other hand, we had a 0 percent chance in the first half. If we had taken the lead, the match would have gone in a completely different direction, we would have had more space, they would have had to rush. I wanted it to be decided in Podgorica, my wish came true, although I would have preferred it to have remained 0:XNUMX. However, this result also gives us a great chance, I expect us to be more efficient in the second leg," said Lalatović.
Lalatović once again emphasized the fact that he had recently taken over the team, and that he had not had enough training.
"Considering that I only had seven training sessions with the team and that we changed the system, it was difficult and the players respected everything I asked for and worked hard for the entire 90 minutes. Noa's players are very high quality, two of their players earn as much per month as my entire team combined."
Igor Ivanovic missed a great chance in the 34th minute. It remains a great regret for that occasion, if the Buducnost player had scored the goal, the game would have taken a completely different turn.
"We were close to taking the lead and if we had taken the lead, my idea would have turned out to be the right one, but I still don't think it was bad. When I arrived I said I would like to have a result that gives us hope before the second leg. We managed to do that, but it's a great pity that we conceded a goal due to our mistake. Everything will be decided in Podgorica and Noa will certainly be much more difficult than here. There will be a hellish atmosphere, and even if it had remained 0:0, we would definitely have had to score a goal on our own field."
The second leg is next Tuesday (21) in Podgorica. A full stadium is expected.
"I invite all fans to fill all the stands and show how much we support the club, how much we love Podgorica and Montenegro. If we get through, it will be a sensation considering how much Noa brings in and pays players. Imagine if we had that kind of budget, and we would play in the Champions League every year," is the message from the Buducnost coach.
Lalatović referred to the fact that Orahovac and Serikov received yellow cards in the first 15 minutes.
"We were afraid until the end of the match that we would be left with one player less. In the end, we conceded a goal from that zone because we didn't dare to come out aggressively. Football is played for goals, mistakes are an integral part of football. It would have been much easier if we hadn't had two yellow cards for our defenders in the first 15 minutes, we would have had a better game from the last line and we would have been more aggressive," concluded the Buducnost coach.
Noa coach Sandro Perković said that he is aware that his team faces a different match in Podgorica.
"It was difficult because Buducnost defended with a double block. It's not easy when the rival is standing 30-40 meters from the goal and everyone is behind the ball, it was clear that their idea was to keep the match tied for as long as possible. We were stable, we stuck to the plan most of the time. Buducnost only had one dangerous situation, we didn't allow them to create anything more, although we didn't recognize some situations the best. I would have liked the difference to be bigger, but even if it had been 2:0, the second leg in Podgorica would have been the same. I am aware of what awaits us, that the match will be completely different from this one and we will be ready for it," said Perković.
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