Juhász riled after Anderlecht let AEK off
Friday, November 5, 2010
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Roland Juhász was "not as happy" as he might have been with RSC Anderlecht's 1-1 draw at AEK Athens FC as missed chances cost the Belgian side vital Group G points in Greece.
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RSC Anderlecht defender Roland Juhász reflected on a night of missed opportunities after the Belgian side claimed a creditable 1-1 Group G draw at AEK Athens FC.
The Hungary centre-back, who has scored two goals in four UEFA Europa League appearances this season, came close to registering again in Greece with a first-half header. In retrospect, though, that was one of many chances created and lost by the visitors.
"Of course we have taken one point which is not bad for us here in Athens but if you saw the game, especially near the end, we had a lot of opportunities to win," Juhász told UEFA.com. "We missed a lot of chances so I think we could have taken all three points. I'm not as happy as I might have been."
The result left both teams an unassailable eight points behind group winners FC Zenit St. Petersburg and one above HNK Hajduk Split. Perhaps crucially, Anderlecht's 3-0 home victory against AEK gives them second place on head-to-head record.
"Everything is in our hands as we are in second place and we are hopeful of qualifying for the next round," continued the 27-year-old Juhász, whose foul on AEK forward Rafik Djebbour enabled Ismael Blanco to give the hosts a 48th-minute lead from the penalty spot. "We didn't have a lot of luck on the night. I think it's normal to miss the odd chance but when you have three or four you should score. I hope in the next games we can take our chances."
Anderlecht next visit frontrunners Zenit who have taken a maximum 12 points. "I don't see why we shouldn't be able to go there and get a result," Juhász said of the 1 December trip. "Everybody knows they are the best team in the group but we have shown over the last few years that we can play well against bigger clubs. We will go there for a win."
AEK captain Pantelis Kafes, whose side shipped a 55th-minute equaliser to Jan Polák, insisted the Yellows' focus was now on achieving victory at Hajduk on Matchday 5. "Either team could have won tonight as we both missed chances," he said. "We didn't manage to get the result we needed and that makes things more difficult . We will go to Split for nothing less than victory."
