Pride comes with fall as LOSC bow out at BATE
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
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"How can I not be proud of my youngsters tonight?" said LOSC Lille boss Rudi Garcia after a 2-0 Group F win at FC BATE Borisov which had Viktor Goncharenko seething.
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Viktor Goncharenko, BATE coach
This is not the type of display you should produce in the UEFA Champions League. Everyone was playing on their own. We had chances to make things right before the break. Our opponents didn't even attack that much but got two goals, while we didn't capitalise on our chances. Maybe the game would have gone the other way if we had scored. Instead our confidence evaporated and our energy levels were dipping with every minute, so it all naturally led to our defeat.
Rudi Garcia, LOSC coach
It is a shame we did not convert one of our chances to win the game 3-0 and keep alive our hopes of playing in the Europa League, but how can I not be proud of my youngsters tonight? It is good to know [about them] for the future. There were at least five youngsters starting the game, and that allowed me to assess them at Champions League level, and they met my expectations. That is really satisfying.
It was important for us to get points on the board in the Champions League. Do not forget that the first game against BATE Borisov put us in big trouble in this competition. We wanted to avenge that. We wanted to show that we could win here. We did it. Moreover, this was the best possible preparation for our match at [Olympique de] Marseille [on Sunday].
