Serbia coach Veljko Paunović launched a scathing criticism of the refereeing after the defeat to Germany in the Nations League. The Serbian team finished the match with nine players following the red cards shown to Vanja Dragojević and Andrija Živković.
Paunović, who is serving a suspension for comments directed at the referee during Serbia’s away match in the Netherlands, acknowledged the superiority of the German team.
“Germany fully deserved to win,” Paunović said.He pointed out that Serbia had failed to impose its style during the first half and had conceded a naive goal due to poor positioning when covering the far post. The plan had been to overcome the German press with more combinations and short passes, but the Serbian players often looked for long balls.
According to the coach, Serbia looked better after the break, and the substitutions made an impact. Paunović said his team had come close to reducing the deficit, while the two sides had been level in terms of clear chances – four each.
Fifth consecutive defeat for Serbia
The defeat was Serbia’s fifth consecutive one in the tournament. Paunović, however, does not believe the run will have a lasting effect on the players’ confidence.
“Nobody likes defeats, but a team with a winning mentality always finds the strength to get back on the winning track,” the coach said.His sharpest reaction was related to the second red card. Paunović said the refereeing standard had negatively affected the game and the mood in the dressing room.
According to him, conversations with Živković and the referee made it clear that the player had uttered only the word “disaster,” which means “catastrophe.” The coach stressed that, in his view, this was not an insult and that the straight red card was unfair.
Despite the negative run, Paunović said he could see progress in the squad. Serbia’s objective remains to comprehensively improve its performance against Europe’s leading football nations.
Sources: sportal.bg