Diane Stankovic: "Maccabi Haifa is a serious team, the pace was at the level of the Champions League"

The coach of Red Star Belgrade complimented the opponent and knows that everything is open in the rematch: "It is never easy to advance to the Champions League, we will have to pay attention to the small details"

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08/18/2022

Thursday, August 18, 2022, 00:19 Updated: 00:26

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Tikteknu: today's summary clip, 17.8 (Sport1)

Maccabi Haifa tonight (Wednesday) took a big step towards the group stage of the Champions League, when they beat Red Star Belgrade 2:3 in the first of two matches.

The rematch will be held next Tuesday in Serbia, when 50 thousand enthusiastic fans of the star will not settle for anything less than an upset.

"It was a tough and tiring game," star coach Diane Stankovic concluded.

"We talked about it before the game, we said there was no favorite, that the game could go either way. Unfortunately we didn't get a better result, because we could have done it. We came back after 15 minutes of their pressure, we scored twice, and unfortunately we started the second half weaker, but I Can't complain."

The coach added: "We didn't play at home, in front of 50,000 of our fans, and now we will have to play with more attention to the small details. It's not as if we were caught sleeping, with explosive attacks, but it happens. This is a serious opponent. The pace was really good, at the level of The Champions League, and you can't make a mistake at these levels. Everything is open. It's not easy to get to the Champions League, it's never easy, but we've already proven ourselves throughout history. We're used to being doubted, even when it's difficult."

In the 60th minute, Stankovic replaced his star Osman Bukari, who suffered an injury.

At the end, the coach explained: "We wanted to refresh the team, he asked for a substitute two or three minutes before."

He knew it would be difficult.

Stankovic (Photo: Maor Alxalsi)

Ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv Alexander Pesich, who scored again against the Greens, added: "Haifa pressed us high, after that we managed to make it 1:2 and played well. In the second half we were not ready, we relaxed a little too much, and Haifa scored twice. From that moment It was already difficult for us to turn around."

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• Red Star Belgrade