Not happy with the result
“I cannot say that I am happy with the result. A 1-1 draw at home is not enough in my opinion. But we still got the second leg and we must score there,” said the Romanian midfielder after the game.
Our No. 7 opened the score just 7 minutes into the game with a beautiful curled shot. “I knew I was going to shoot. And as soon as I hit the ball, I knew that it would take a good trajectory. I am happy about the goal, but if I could choose, I would choose the game to finish in a goalless draw instead of 1-1.”
Slavia managed to create many more promising opportunities in the opening half, and Nico Stanciu was a key man for many of them. “It was not just about me; other players had their chances too. We played a great first half in which we should score more goals. In the second half we haven’t shown our best football and it’s a pity.”
The Red-whites conceded a goal after a set piece followed by a reckless defensive action on the far post. It was probably the first dangerous situation Rangers managed to create. “It’s maybe fourth or fifth game in a row in which we conceded a goal from a set piece. Tonight, it was a stupid one, without it we could win this match.”
Slavia now had to score in the second leg to avoid elimination from the Europa League. But the team is not without a chance according to Stanciu. “They haven’t surprised us, we were watching their games on a video, we knew everything about them. In the first half, we were the only team playing and we created a lot of chances. But in the end, it’s a draw and we must score away when we want to progress.”