Conference after #SPAWIS

The first match of the third qualifying round for the Conference League, Spartak Trnava hosting Wisła Kraków, ended in a 1-3 defeat. Coach Kazimierz Moskal summed up the match.

"First of all, regarding the match, the first half – apart from the start, which was a bit nervous on our part – I think was even. We managed to score. In the second half, we gave the opponent oxygen. We gave away goals that you can't concede like that. Playing away, with the score 1-0, if you give the opponent goals like that, you're driving them forward. We can't defend just by kicking the ball forward from the defense. There are moments when you have to take charge of the game, organize it, have some control over the match. Of course, at 2-1, we had a chance for Angel, who hit the post, but overall, the second half definitely favored the home team," the coach began. "Of course, we're disappointed, because we could definitely have achieved a better result here. I'm not talking about winning, because when you're losing 1-3, that's a pretty clear result. This is even more so when you look at the second half, where Spartak had a significant advantage. However, we didn't capitalize on our chances; I'm talking about the flow of the match. When you're leading 1-0, you have to play calmly, control the game, and capitalize on the opportunities that arose, and they did. If we'd been able to switch sides faster, we definitely would have had more chances in the second half," he added.

When asked why Wisła was struggling right after halftime, the coach replied: "I don't know, it's hard for me to answer that question. We all agreed at halftime that we had to be ready for the start of the second half, not to be caught off guard, to maintain the same level of play we had in the first half. After the first goal, I saw a lot of our players outside the penalty area. The ball hit one of our players, and as a result, a Spartak player found himself unattended in the penalty area, took a shot, and scored. As I say, after scoring to make it 1-1, a team always gets extra motivation, and that was evident on Trnava's side. I don't know how to answer the question of why we started the second half poorly. The first half didn't start well either, as there was a lot of nervousness, but the second half definitely needs improvement."

Kamil Broda played against Spartak, placing himself between the posts for the White Star goal. Why this decision? "We have competition in goal. Anton played a few games, and Kamil was waiting for his chance. It was my decision, but also a joint one with the goalkeeping coach, that Kamil would be between the posts today, because he really looked very good in training, and Anon needs to feel the competition too. We also don't want to miss the moment when the other goalkeeper is in good form," he said.

On Sunday in Pruszków, Tamas Kiss received a red card, and on Thursday, the Hungarian started the match. Was this a form of support for the player, so as not to penalize him further for the situation? "On the one hand, yes, because it was a decision based on what happened, but Tamas didn't play badly in Pruszków. There was no point in penalizing him further. These things happen, although I expressed my opinion on the matter. However, today I also think he played a good game," he noted.

Coach Moskal was also asked about Angel Baena, who played well in Slovakia. What did the coach say about this? "Baena had another chance at 2-1, which was the result of his cross to the far post. Today, Angel's play really paid off, but I think we didn't use him enough, especially not Kiss on the wing," he concluded.