Slovenia and Serbia shook hands with a 1-1 draw in the second round of the UEFA Europa League group stage that ended tonight. After the match, Slovenian defender Kalničnik was interviewed by Eurocup officials, sharing his insights on the match and his outlook for the future.
Karnichnik began by expressing his disappointment with the outcome of the game, "It's a heavy heart right now, we were so close to winning. We played well throughout the game, but we just couldn't defend against their offense." He mentioned that the Serbian team managed to create scoring chances through many long passes, which is their strong point.
Despite the unsatisfactory result, Kalnichnik acknowledged the team's performance and made special mention of the fans' support: "It was fantastic to feel the support of the fans on the pitch, which gave us a lot of motivation."
Talking about the upcoming showdown with England, he showed a determined attitude, "Next we will face England, the favorites to win this group, and we will do our best to fight."
Kalnichnik also shared his team's tactical thinking during the game, "It was clear to us that we were able to quickly launch a counterattack after losing possession. This tactical thinking was executed well during the game, and that cross from Elshnik was fantastic."
Looking back at the whole game, he thought his team played quite well in the first 80 minutes and created several chances in the first half. However, in the last ten minutes of the match, Slovenia's attention was distracted when Serbia started to use long passes frequently.
Finally, he confessed that the team is probably more disappointed with the draw result than Serbia, but at the same time proud of the team's overall performance in this year's Europa League. The draw will not demoralize the team, instead they will use it as an opportunity to continue to work hard and strive for better results in the upcoming matches.
