Vitoria: “The team cannot enter the second half like this, I think there was a foul on Ioannidis”

His coach PanathinaikouRui Vitoria, appeared disappointed with the image of his team in the second half of the match against Djurgarden, explained why he did not make more changes earlier, while also commenting on the refereeing.

What Rui Vitoria said in detail at the press conference:

For the team difference in the two halves: “I would agree with you 100%. In the first half we played well, having a defensive function and proper circulation. We controlled the pace of the match properly, not letting the opponent have good moments. While essentially at halftime we were thinking how to fix some small things, unfortunately the situation turned completely around. The team cannot enter the second like this. part. European games are judged very much on the concentration part. I didn’t like the passivity our team showed. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened this season. We have to work on it so it doesn’t happen to us again. And that’s because we could have controlled the match better and ended the match by scoring again, not only did we not succeed, but we lost the match».

For not completing the changes again: “Today we made three changes. What we saw in much of the second half was how the game went up and down. We believed that because of this, if a footballer came in, who was cold, he would not be able to help the team as much and so we did not proceed with more changes earlier. We risked putting a second four, in the end we played with three at the back with width to give more options, but it didn’t work out for us. Of course, we have very little time. But the game was not lost then, but at the start of the second half».

For the refereeing decisions and the foul in the second Swedish goal: “I still don’t have the game and the stages. But I’m pretty sure with the feeling I had on the pitch that it was a foul. In many corresponding cases the referees give this foul. What I understood from what I heard is that neither the referee nor the supervisor wanted to take responsibility for the foul. In Europe VAR only comes into play when there are clear cases. If there was no doubt between the two, then the foul would be committed. However, VAR in Europe rarely intervenes for such phases. The supervisor for example was focused on offside and was not clear on whether there was a foul or not. The referee was waiting for him, who should have a clear opinion on the phase. This is what I think happened. I think that in normal situations, a foul would have been whistled. Now it’s done and we’re moving on».

On his difficulty creating after the goal he conceded: “I will agree with you. That’s why I said when I started the statements that in the first part he did well in traffic and easily reached the last third, but there we lacked the final energy. Whether it was a pass, an action or a shot. We certainly lack goals and with the quality of our players we can do much more. I am only a few days here, but soon we will have more time to look at this issue. What we have been doing for as long as we have been together has been to hold the team together defensively and give them a good circulation».