Setien feels victory deserved, Martins confident of beating Milan

After defeating Olympiacos in the fifth UEFA Europa League match, Real Betis head coach Quique Setien was thrilled to qualify for the Last 32, while opposing manager Pedro Martins was rightfully aghast at the result.

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When travelling to Spain, Olympiacos knew they couldn’t afford to lose in the penultimate game of Group F, however they fell foul of a goal from Sergio Canales after goalkeeper Jose Sa had earlier made a superb penalty save. In a closely contested encounter, both teams were presented with clear opportunities, but Olympiacos were left to rue big misses from Konstantinos Fortounis and Andreas Bouchalakis in the first half. Senegalese centre-back Pape Abou Cisse then headed agonisingly wide in the dying seconds of the match.

Real Betis’ Quique Setien shared his views on the win which takes the Spaniards through to the knockout phase, stating that he thought his team deserved the victory: “We had a lot more opportunities than Olympiacos and deserved the three points,” beamed Setien. “It was an open game in the first half, with both teams having periods of control. In the second frame, they gave us more space, and we had plenty of chances to score more goals.

Does it worry me that we only scored the one goal? Yes, this is a recurring theme this year, we’re simply not taking advantage of our openings. Can we reach the final? AC Milan and Olympiacos are teams with plenty of UEFA Champions League experience, but in the next round, the opponents will be even tougher. I am very satisfied with advancing.”

Despite the narrow defeat in Seville, Pedro Martins is sure his Olympiacos team can beat Milan in Piraeus, and he also noted the injury problems within the squad: “We gave our all today, but the result is negative,” said the 48-year old Portuguese manager. “In the second half, we did have chances to score, but so did Betis. I congratulate Betis because they proved they’re the best team in this group. They deserved to qualify for the next round.

I am confident that we can beat AC Milan by two goals with the help of our fans at home. We had a lot of injury problems too, with Lazaros Christodoulopoulos and Ahmed Hassan on the sidelines. Miguel Angel Guerrero has only been training a week since returning. I’m sure we are capable of defeating Milan.”

Serbian defender Jagos Vukovic agreed that Olympiacos played well in Spain, however he regretted the fact of not scoring a goal to at least gain a point: “We were playing against a very difficult opponent. I think we played well, especially in the first half, when we had chances to score. We were lacking a goal and it cost us.”

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: sport-fm.gr

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