Jorje Jezus: "The bad state of the field caused all our problems"

After the match between "Pakhtakor" and "Al Hilal" (1:0) in the elite ACL quarter-finals, Saudi coach Jorge Jesus participated in a press conference.

"The first part of the playoff match has ended. Now we are waiting for the return match. We need to focus all our attention on the match in Riyadh. We couldn't showcase the football we wanted on such a pitch. Therefore, we had to make changes to our game. We tried to play long passes and be the first to win the second ball. It's difficult to display quality football on such a pitch. The number of injuries increased due to the cold weather. The minus five temperature and the bad pitch were the reasons for that. For me, the worst outcome of today's game was not the defeat, but losing key players. Now we need to prepare for the next match. We will play in Riyadh in a week," said Jorge Jesus.

- "Al Hilal" couldn't display its usual football today. The team didn't create good attacks and several players got injured. What do you think is the reason for such a poor performance?

- "A well-structured team like "Pakhtakor" caused us many problems. I repeat, regardless of which of our players were on the pitch today, they couldn't display their usual level of play. The condition of the pitch was the reason for that. Therefore, we changed our style. We focused more on one-on-one battles, but that wasn't our tactic. The game forced us to change our style. Due to the cold weather and the condition of the pitch, many of our players couldn't play until the end of the game. The bad condition of the pitch is the cause of all our problems. For me, it's more important how my team recovers for the next game than how they played today. I have mentioned the reasons for today's problems.

- Did "Pakhtakor" play as you expected today?

- "Pakhtakor's" game didn't surprise me. The game was only about battles. It's difficult to control the game in such conditions. The condition of the pitch is to blame for everything. We showed everything we could. Now we need to think about the match in Riyadh.

Source: championat.asia