Sandro Perković: “Everything will be decided in the second leg. We need the 12th man”

FC Noah head coach Sandro Perković summed up the away match of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round against Lincoln Red Imps. The match, held on August 7 in Gibraltar, ended in a 1–1 draw. The return leg will take place on August 14 in Abovyan.

— It was a tough, competitive match, and that’s exactly what we expected, — Perković said at the post-match press conference. — The artificial pitch and high humidity made things difficult for us. Still, we started well: we scored a goal that was unfortunately disallowed, and then we opened the scoring again. We completely controlled the first 20 minutes.

According to the coach, after a strong start, the team eased off a bit, which allowed the opponent to bounce back:

— I felt the players were content with the result and began losing control of the game. We kept playing the ball back to the goalkeeper, and in one of those moments, we made a mistake and conceded a penalty.

In the second half, as Perković admitted, the game became chaotic:

— It was unbalanced football. No structure, the rhythm was constantly broken — lots of fouls, lots of yellow cards… I won’t comment on the referee’s performance specifically. This often happens on artificial turf.

Perković stressed that the outcome will be decided in Armenia and called on fans to support the team:

— Everything will be decided in the return leg at our stadium. I call on all fans to come and support us — we really need the 12th man.

He also praised the opponent:

— I don’t think fatigue was the issue — we played well. You just have to give credit to the opponent: they have experienced players who knew what to do. It’s hard for everyone on such a pitch, and they used it well.