UEFA European Conference League

The players of Spartak Trnava failed to take advantage of a great chance for a good result in the first match of the UEFA Conference League play-off against Ukrainian Dnipro (1:1). Fullback Kristián Koštrna was far from satisfied.

In team Spartak Trnava discontent reigns. There’s nothing to be surprised about, because the players of the Slovak football club on Wednesday evening wasted a great opportunity to build an ideal starting position before next week’s rematch in Košice. Ukrainian Dnipro entered the first game of the Conference League playoffs in a frame of mind that was far from ideal.

Shortly before the match, the club’s management decided to fire almost the entire implementation team led by coach Oleksandr Kučer, and the Dnipro team was led at the Anton Malatinský Stadium by Valerij Horodov, who until then took care of the training of goalkeepers. Trnava received another gift right at the start of the match, when Sarapij was sent off in the 5th minute.

Kristián Koštrna, FC Spartak Trnava, source: ŠPORT.sk

Koštrna: We complicated it ourselves

In the end, the Ukrainian vice-champion played to the end with only two players sent off, as Kohut had to be taken off the pitch in the 89th minute when he saw the second yellow card. However, it was only a 1:1 draw, thanks to which Dnipro-1 can think about advancing to the group stage. Certainly Trnava too.

“It’s hard to beat because we could have gone into the second match with a better result. It could have been 1-0 or 2-0. Unfortunately, we made it complicated for ourselves,” Kristián Koštrna shook his head after the match and visibly disappointed added: “There was a mistake, but that’s football.”

The players of Spartak Trnava drew 1:1 at home with SC Dnipro-1 in the opening match of the play-off of the European Conference League. The visiting team played without the suspended Eduard Sarapij from the 5th minute and without Ihor Kohut in added time. However, the people of Trnava did not use it. Rematch is scheduled for next Thursday (8:00 p.m.) in Košice, where the Ukrainian vice-champion plays home games.

“We must always be calm, reasonable, and everything is still open in the return. Dnipro is playable. We knew his strengths, we prepared for them very well and I think we were able to eliminate them. Of course, the red card helped and we were more on the ball. But we couldn’t convert our chances. We could have gone into the rematch with a better lead. We are not satisfied,” he emphasized.

Ghanaian Kelvin Ofori put Trnava in the lead in the 55th minute, but Oleksandr Pichaľonok had the last word, who converted the penalty from the 67th minute, and Dnipro got it from Spartak on a platter. “‘Štetec’ (Štetina) had the ball on his foot, he gave it to me in the area, which their winger caught, he put it behind the defense, where Sebo Kóša crossed him and a fight ensued. When they were already lying on the ground, as (the Dnipro player) was getting up, he got in the way of (Kóš’s) leg, which in my opinion was a penalty. It could have been handled better, but things like this happen in football. We have to lock in and fight because everything is wide open in the return game.” claims 29-year-old Koštrna.

Spartak Trnava – Lech Poznan. Source: ŠPORT.sk

High expectations after the elimination of Lech Poznan

The defender of Spartak Trnava points out, however, that the Ukrainian SK Dnipro-1 is no worse in terms of quality than the Polish Lech Poznań, whom the “red and blacks” eliminated in the 3rd preliminary round of the Conference League.

“Dnipro is really good. We analyzed them and the coach also warned us that nothing easy awaits us and it won’t be easier than against Lech, which people also thought were just ‘some’ Ukrainians to whom we will give a three-pointer at home. He was a good opponent who is strong on the ball and very good defensively. It also has quite decent breaks. They are really smart guys,” Koštern recognized the qualities of Wednesday’s opponent.

“It was really crowded in the front. We created chances after rebounds, but it was difficult. A lot of people thought that when we beat Lech Poznań, a very good opponent, then Dnipro would come and they would be worse. It was the other way around. I think he was a very good opponent. They were all smaller players, very dynamic and difficult to play against.” he added.

Spartak Trnava – SK Dnipro-1 Source: TASR

So close, but at the same time so far

Next week’s rematch will be a little different again. Dnipro-1 will not be able to rely on a pair of expelled players, who were joined by the talented midfielder Valentin Rubchinskij. He has already seen his third yellow card and will miss the important match at the Košice Stadium.

Despite this, Spartak got into a difficult situation, as Dnipro will probably start with a new helmsman. There is speculation about the arrival of the young 39-year-old Spaniard Gonzalo Garcia and he can bring something new again. Coach Michal Gašparík also drew attention to this.

A wasted career chance, an albistic approach and a huge gift into the hands of Ukrainian Dnipro. Coach Michal Gašparík was far from satisfied after Wednesday’s match. He also reacted to the words of coach Slovan Bratislava.

Košterna looks at the situation a little differently. “We knew about all the circumstances that happened in their club. They didn’t have time to change anything fundamentally. Shortly before the match, they fired the coach and not much can be changed there, so they played the same as before. Maybe they’ll change something in a week, but I don’t think it should be something significant that they can surprise us with.” believes the native of Hlohovec, although the absence of the carded can work precisely in Trnava’s favor, “certainly yes. We know that their midfielder has received a yellow card, his third, and he will definitely not play. The two with red cards will also be missing so they will have to change it up and that might suit us.”

Just like before Trnava, so also before Dnipro, only one match remains to be played and after that it will be decided who will get the keys to the entrance gate to the group stage of the UEFA Conference League. “We talked about it in the cabin, too, that we are so close. Two matches is practically nothing. We are very close, but at the same time quite far. Really, in Trnava we all dream of it happening, but we have to be reasonable and calm. We can’t go crazy now. We especially need to be calm,” shouts Kristián Koštrna, who also believes that a lot of fans will come to support Trnava in the increasingly modern Košice football arena, where the return match will take place next Thursday.

“The player plays completely differently when the house is full. You can reach your maximum and the player feels completely different on the pitch. I believe that the fans will come to Košice to support us and we will have a quasi-home environment there. It’s a neutral ground and it’s their ground, but I think we’ll have a home environment there.” wishes Košterna.

2023-08-24 11:45:00
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