A big tragedy happened in Russia the day before this match. How were the players feeling when they came on the pitch? How did the support from the Serbian side feel?
The tragic events that took place in Moscow were shocking for everyone. Speaking of the support from the Serbian fans, I want to thank them them for the compassion shown towards our people in this difficult time. I think the fans who attended the game tonight showed their respect and that they care about what happened yesterday. Without a doubt it was an earth shattering moment for all of us.
A few of the team’s strongest players were absent today and as a result of it you lost 1-0. What would you say about tonight’s match?
Quality-wise it was a good game, but unfortunately we weren’t able to score and conceded a goal that could’ve been avoided. We had chances, but our accuracy was off. As for the squad, we gave the playing time to those who aren’t receiving enough of it throughout the season. Those who didn’t come to Serbia stayed in St. Petersburg and currently they’re recovering and training there.
Would you say that the final score of this match is fair?
It’s tough to say. The team that scores wins. If we couldn’t score tonight, although we did score but the goal was disallowed, it’s not right to talk about the amount of changes created by the teams. Congratulations to Crvena Zvezda on the win, and we’re going to continue getting ready for the official matches.
Despite Crvena Zvezda scoring in the second half, it felt like the Zenit players were closer to a goal. Did it feel like that to you as well?
We had good chances, but our accuracy wasn’t on point tonight.
Share a couple of words on the moment with the conceded goal please.
I think in that moment we didn’t play well, Artur Cherniy lost the focus, so the ball bounced to the center and the opposing team’s player found himself in a perfect position to score.
Did you get a chance to talk to your colleagues from Crvena Zvezda?
No, I didn’t get a chance to have a conversation with them, but we did exchange a couple of words. Although the atmosphere that the fans created for us today was incredible. I would say that those people are with us now. As a team we would also like to express our condolences and show our support to our people.
