Forward of "Pakhtakor" Igor Sergeyev shared his thoughts after the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Asian Elite Champions League against "Al Hilol" (1:0).
— What are your impressions of the match?
— It’s joyful that we won for the first time in history. The weather was cold, below zero, but the guys put in effort. We tried to follow the coach's instructions, we succeeded in some areas, and in others, we didn’t. Since there is a second leg, we wanted to increase the margin in the score, but the coaches, the guys, everyone knows that this is just the beginning, and the return match will be much tougher. The reason is that they will play at home, and their squad will be complete. Even though I didn’t play in the main squad today, I am satisfied.
— How do you feel after recovering from your injury?
— I played in two official matches, and before that, I had 5-6 games in the training camp, and the injury is not bothering me. Right now, I am trying not to think about the injury and I am training to prevent it from happening again.
— You have played against "Al Hilol" before and even scored a goal. What is the difference between that "Al Hilol" and today’s?
— The difference is quite evident. There were good players before, but not at the world level, only at the Asian level. The current names are known worldwide. Overall, not just "Al Hilol," but all of Saudi Arabia has changed significantly.
Source: championat.asia
