Comments from Lokomotiv head coach Mirko Jelicic following the match against OKMK.
— It was an interesting match. The team was ready to play football, and it was enjoyable to watch the players out on the pitch. We are a little disappointed with the result. I think we deserved three points, but we ended up with none. That is football: sometimes you play well but achieve nothing, while at other times you can play poorly and still take all three points. Today, luck was not on our side.
— Once again, the team conceded a goal in the closing minutes, just as it happened in the first round. A similar situation occurred back then. After the goal, the players protested to the referee. But wasn’t the main responsibility actually on the players themselves? They did not play the situation through to the end, and some of them stopped. What is your assessment of the incident?
— I think the first person responsible was the referee, and the second was ourselves. The referee’s mistake happened around the halfway line, while our mistake occurred right in front of our own goal. So there were mistakes on both sides. Perhaps the referee did not see the situation correctly. I was about five metres away from the incident. It was clearly visible that the ball had gone completely out of play. I don’t know how they assess these situations or what technology they use. But this is not the first time something like this has happened. In the second incident, too, it was clearly visible that the ball had gone out of play.
It is very frustrating to lose in this manner. However, even after the referee’s mistake, we still had to decide how our team should react and continue playing.
— I agree that it was an interesting match, although the two halves were quite different. The first half was very entertaining. In the second half, it seemed that both teams’ defences had the upper hand over their attacks. Both sides played cautiously. Usually, Lokomotiv’s substitutes come on and strengthen the attack. Today, however, even after the substitutions, the team was unable to put the opponents under serious pressure. What was the reason for that? Had OKMK prepared for this situation in advance?
— It varies from game to game. It is not easy to prepare a player sitting on the bench to come on and make an immediate impact. Sometimes substitutions work, sometimes they don’t. Today, our changes did not help us in the way we had hoped. We thought the opposition’s defenders might become tired and start pushing forward. We planned to use that to increase our pace on the wings. But our plan did not work as expected. We simply wanted to bring on fresh players and exploit the space behind the opposition’s defensive line.
— Lokomotiv scored four goals in one half against Neftchi in the Cup. However, following that impressive victory, the team has now gone two consecutive matches without a win. What is behind the team’s difficulties in converting chances? Did the team use up all its energy in the match against Neftchi?
— It is difficult to find the reason. Perhaps only the football gods know. Sometimes you manage to convert your chances, and sometimes you don’t. It can be down to both individual quality and luck. How can you explain it? Every match and every situation is different.
Statistics do not tell the whole story. For example, you can create 50 scoring opportunities and score just one goal. On another day, you might score four goals from five chances. It all depends on how well you take those opportunities. Today, it simply did not happen for us. We also created plenty of chances in the previous match but failed to turn them into goals.
Qizilqum defended well. We have to acknowledge that. We must also give credit to the opposition for their defensive performance. If you cannot create chances, that is a problem. But if you are creating plenty of opportunities, that in itself is a positive sign. It is the first step forward.
— In November, you will face Andijan twice: once in the league and once in the Cup. Will you save your biggest surprise for the cup match, or will you approach both games in the same way?
— It makes no difference to us. We approach every match in the same way. We have our own working process and preparation system. We do not get carried away by unnecessary emotions. Whether it is a friendly match or a Cup semi-final, it makes no difference to us. We prepare for every game to the best of our ability. We will continue working every day in exactly the same way.
— You said that statistics do not really matter. I partly agree. However, OKMK have beaten Lokomotiv in each of their last six meetings. Do you think Lokomotiv and OKMK could meet in the Uzbekistan Cup final? Given your ambitions in the Cup, is OKMK genuinely an uncomfortable opponent for you?
— No, I don’t think so at all. I don’t spend much time thinking about other teams. We are a team that is ready to play attacking, open football. Today, we could easily have scored five or six goals, but we failed to do so.
If we face OKMK in the Cup final, that would be good for us. There is no problem at all. We also lost to them in the closing minutes of our first meeting this season. The same thing happened today. I think we played better than our opponents in both matches. If we meet this team in the final, we will be happy to face them.