Radoslav Batak, the coach of Vojvodina FC expressed his satisfaction despite being defeated by APOEL in the first match of the second qualifying round for the Conference League.

The players of ’’the old lady’’ lost tonight in Nicosia with the result of 2:1, but the head of the coaching staff of Vojvodina believes that his team can qualify for the next round of the competition.

– In the first 20 to 25 minutes we might have respected the opponent too much, maybe because we were playing on their pitch, or maybe because they are far more experienced in playing the European competitions. However, we found our rhythm later on in the game, and I really can’t hold anything against my players in the second half of the match. After the draw, we received a goal due to some recklessness or the lack of experience. But what makes us optimistic is that if we play like we did in the second half of the match, I believe we can achieve a positive result and qualify for the next round of the competition – Radoslav Batak said.

 

Voša’s coach is well aware that his team has a challenging schedule before them, but he believes that they will show their true face at the start of the season.

– Neither as the player nor the coach, I never played with less intensity, and I don’t know how to play like that. Kajević and Malbašić will be back for the rematch, and we also have a new attacker, which we hope will be official soon, and of course newer players will get their chance and we will be in better condition. The schedule is hard, but it is what it is, we wanted to reschedule the match, but we didn’t not receive a positive reply – Batak said.

 

Voša’s coach also reflected on the details that could be game-changing in the rematch.

– The second half will be played on our stadium, and we have to use that space between the lines and show more quality in the finish. Tonight we had three chances that did not end in a score, which is a lot given such an opponent, and we also had one more through Čumić during the first half of the match. This means that if we had used only a half of our real chances, we would have scored two more goals. After the match analysis, we will see what more we can do. The goal from an interruption is our Acchilles heel, and we want to fix that. The fans were with us today, and of course they will be our asset at Karađorđe stadium – Batak pointed out.

 

Finally, the coach of Vojvodina thanked the hosts for the excellent atmosphere.

  • The mood was amazing, we had a nice welcome, and it was a true football atmosphere. We know for their many trophies, and the greatness of the club and we are glad to have been rivals tonight – concluded Radoslav Batak.

The rematch is scheduled for August 3rd at 20:00h at Karađorđe stadium in Novi Sad.