Goodison vibes good for Everton and Krasnodar
Friday, December 12, 2014
Article summary
Full-back Luke Garbutt said Everton FC would be ready to push on come the knockout rounds whereas FC Krasnodar were thrilled with their own slice of group stage history.
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• Group H winners Everton lose 1-0 to eliminated Krasnodar but Luke Garbutt proud
•The England Under-21 left-back "fancies us against anyone" in Monday's last-32 draw
• Krasnodar keeper Andrei Sinitsin thrilled with club's first UEFA group stage win
• Roberto Martínez sad to lose but confident his youngsters will benefit from experience
• Round of 32 draw takes place in Nyon at 13.00CET on 15 December
Luke Garbutt, Everton defender
It was great to get on the pitch and to get the opportunity to play at Goodison. There are bits of my game I can improve but I've just got to keep working hard and hopefully the gaffer will give me more chances. Tonight was a great opportunity for the young players and we can hold our heads high. It was disappointing to lose, because you never want to lose, but it was a good test for us. I think some of the boys did really well.
This is a fantastic tournament and it's given me experiences that I've never had before. Hopefully I can kick on and get a few more opportunities. We're a close-knit group and I think we can push each other on after Christmas, despite having a busy schedule with massive games ahead. That's where the team morale comes in and we've got that in abundance. It will be interesting to see who we get in the draw but I fancy us against anyone. I'm looking forward to it.
Andrei Sinitsin, Krasnodar goalkeeper
We are very happy because this performance was more like ourselves – it was a better reflection of the team we normally are in the Russian league. In some of our previous matches in the group, particularly the three games we had drawn, maybe we didn't get the luck at times. But now we're delighted to get this first victory in a group stage in the history of Krasnodar.
Playing in the Europa League has been a very important experience for me personally. Competing in European football will always be a great memory for me, whatever happens in the future.
Roberto Martínez, Everton manager
The youngsters didn't look themselves in the first half. I know them well from the Under-21s and from training at Finch Farm and for me they looked a bit fearful and cagey in that first half. But in the second half they expressed themselves, made much better decisions and we saw young talent getting a unique experience.
After this game we have got different options and information to help these players fulfil their potential. It was a shame we couldn't get a positive result but we will get the benefit from this experience.