Coach Kovačević: We knew where Lille was most dangerous, I'm sorry we didn't prevent it

We knew how quality team Lille is and we really needed to have a perfect day to achieve a positive result, emphasized Dinamo's coach Mario Kovačević after the match in which Lille triumphed against the Blues with a score of 4:0 in the 5th round of the Europa League.

– We were hoping for a favorable result, we had a situation at the beginning of the match, but the referee did not acknowledge our goal, he called a foul... Maybe that goal would have given us a little more motivation. In that first half, I can't blame the players much, we were solid in defense, but on several occasions we lost the ball and Lille confirmed what we knew, that they are most dangerous in transition. They are faster than us, they played those two transitions very well, we didn't react well there. In the second half, at 2:0, it was hard to expect that we would achieve a positive result.

The opponent easily punished Dinamo's mistakes.

– I say, we all had to have a perfect day to achieve a positive outcome. Lille really started seriously from the first minute, especially playing well at home. I'm sorry precisely because of those transitions, we knew how good they are at that and we were preparing for it. But it's hard to defend when someone is faster and of high quality. In the second half, maybe in the first 15 minutes we were decent, but with the substitutions we couldn't hold on, we fell, and we conceded the third and fourth goal on set defense. Luckily, the goalkeeper reacted well so we didn't concede even more goals.

The maximum concentration is on the HNL, the next match is an away game in Velika Gorica.

- It's fortunate that we started well in Europe so we have two more games at home, I believe we can win both, there's no need to give up. As far as the HNL is concerned, it's true that from day one we have been saying that the championship is the most important to us, we have to prepare well and go for the win, that's all that interests us - concluded coach Kovačević.