Mandrykin contrite after CSKA howler

Veniamin Mandrykin admitted he had made "a very bad mistake" in conceding the goal that denied PFC CSKA Moskva all three points at home against Fenerbahçe SK.

'No excuses'
The Russian champions were five minutes away from a first Group G victory when the 26-year-old goalkeeper allowed Deivid's powerful shot to creep under his body, allowing the Turkish side to snatch a 2-2 draw at the Lokomotiv Stadium. Mandrykin was devastated after the match but was brave enough to admit his error. "I made a very bad mistake," he said. "There are no excuses for me and I want to apologise to our fans."

Cruel blow
The goalkeeper felt that his side would have been good value for a 2-1 win after two goals in quick succession early in the second half – a Miloš Krasić strike and a Vágner Love penalty – cancelled out Alex's ninth-minute opener for Fenerbahçe. He said: "Fenerbahçe did not do anything special – we knew exactly how they would play – but the Champions League is a demanding tournament and you have to win at home to get through the group stage. There are still four matches to play so nothing is lost for CSKA - we still can qualify."

'A bad result'
Midfielder Krasić sympathized with the goalkeeper after the game and refused to blame him for the result. "We lacked efficiency up front and conceded two odd goals," he said. "Venia is very disappointed about the second goal, but we should not blame him. He saved us several times after the break. Adapting to our opponents' style took ten to 15 minutes and then we fully took control and played very well, especially at the beginning of the second half. However, luck was not on our side today and a draw at home is always a bad result." The draw leaves CSKA at the bottom of their section going into their double-header against FC Internazionale Milano on 23 October and 7 November.