Bulgarian vice-champion CSKA experienced a real nightmare, but in the end managed to eliminate Maccabi Tel Aviv in the second leg of the third qualifying round of the Europa League. After a decisive 3:0 victory in the first match, Hristo Yanev's team suffered a 1:3 home defeat at the “Vasil Levski” stadium. With a total score of 4:3, the “army” qualified for the playoff round, winning the strategic war, despite losing the battle tonight.
Here are the first reactions, opinions and feedback from both camps immediately after the final referee's signal.
CSKA Headquarters: “The ranking is important, but we have serious lessons“
CSKA head coach Hristo Yanev did not hide his relief, but also expressed serious criticism of his team's performance in defensive terms.
- Hristo Yanev (CSKA head coach): “The goal has been achieved, CSKA is in the Europa League playoffs. This is the most important thing for the club and the fans. However, I cannot close my eyes to the mistakes we made. Maccabi put us under serious pressure, and the own goal put us in unnecessary panic. We should have controlled the match much better after Sensi's goal. We played with fire, but the boys' character saved us in the last minutes. Now we are thinking about the next opponent.“
- Stefano Sensi (CSKA midfielder and goal scorer): “I am happy with the goal because it turned out to be decisive for the overall outcome of the match. The match was extremely difficult physically. The Israelis had nothing to lose and risked everything. We made the match difficult for ourselves, but in Europe the big teams keep going even on their bad days. Thank you to the audience who supported us in the difficult moments.“
Maccabi Camp: Pride in the Game and Regret for the Missed Chance
In the Maccabi Tel Aviv Camp emotions were mixed - disappointment at the elimination, but also pride at the fact that they had almost erased the three-goal deficit on Bulgarian soil.
- Kenny Miller (Maccabi head coach): “I am proud of the tactical growth and the reaction of the boys after the fiasco in the first game. Today we were the better team on the field and deserved to send the match at least into overtime. However, football is a game of details. One inaccuracy cost us Sensi's goal, which turned out to be fatal for us. I wish CSKA success in the playoffs.“
- Dor Peretz (captain of Maccabi): “We gave it our all. We believed in the turnaround from the first second. When you lead 2:0 in Sofia, you believe you can do the miracle. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time for a fourth goal. We're going out with our heads held high.“
Media in Bulgaria and Israel: From “jumping through hell“ to “a dignified elimination“
Sports publications in both countries reacted swiftly to the dramatic development:
- Българските медии: Водещите спортни сайтове у нас акцентираха върху факта, че „червените“ са потреперили сериозно преди триумфа. Заглавия като „ЦСКА се промъкна до плейоф на ЛЕ след загуба с 1:3“ и „ЦСКА прескочи ада за плейоф в ЛЕ, Сенси е големият герой“ описват точно състоянието на българските фенове през втората част. Анализаторите отбелязват, че ЦСКА трябва бързо да стабилизира защитата си преди следващото европейско предизвикателство.
- Израелските медии: Пресата в Израел изрази съжаление за късното събуждане на Макаби. Журналистите подчертават, че отборът е измил срамното петно от първата среща в Грузия, но „тактическите грешки отпреди седмица са се оказали твърде тежка котва“. Изданията хвалят агресивния стил на Милър в София, определяйки представянето като „героичен опит за обрат, останал на крачка от чудото“.
ЦСКА вече очаква своя съперник за финалния плейоф по пътя към основната фаза на Лига Европа, а мачът на „Васил Левски“ ще остане в историята като един от най-инфарктните за българския футбол през този евросезон.