Could you please comment on the match and summarize things?
“Speaking of the atmosphere at the stadium, it was amazing. As for the result and the quality of the game, we didn’t play well in the first half, and even though we improved a little bit in the second half, unfortunately we didn’t score. I think this defeat was absolutely fair. The team that played better won today. Sepahan wanted to win more, and they did and they deserved it.”
Iran welcomed Zenit very warmly. How was it?
“It was amazing, the atmosphere at the stadium was great. We were delighted to visit Iran, everyone was incredibly welcoming, the people are kind and positive, we’re extremely grateful for this warm welcome!”
The winter training camp is officially over. Are you satisfied with the results? Did you complete all of the objectives?
“Today Claudinho felt a slight muscle discomfort, so he couldn’t play, everyone else is fine. We’re waiting for Robert Renan who is going to join us soon, then we’ll start getting ready for the first official match.”
We’re used to seeing Zenit take the lead from the start, but today they weren’t able to do it for about half an hour. Why?
“It was difficult for us to get into the game, we weren’t moving fast enough and were lacking speed while working with the ball. It could be because of the pitch that we had to get used to, or maybe the muscles are currently not in the best condition, but the first half wasn’t great for us. In the second half we played better and had good chances, but unfortunately we didn’t score.”
Is there enough time to improve conditions before the official match as there’s only one week left?
“I think it’s good for us that we played this match, because I doubt that the pitch in Ulyanovsk will be better quality than this one. We have to feel what it’s like playing under different circumstances, both in terms of weather and the quality of the pitch. Generally, a week is more than enough to recover and to get ready for the match.”
