Lucescu: "We deserved more"

Shakhtar Donetsk manager Mircea Lucescu shared his thoughts after the European super cup game against Barcelona at a press conference:

"It was a good match in difficult conditions. The heat made things very difficult. The teams showed a deep desire and great motivation to win.

Unfortunately we had to play in unbelievable conditions. Firstly it was very hot, secondly the field was not of good quality. The teams nevertheless played as gentlemen, on such a field there could be a lot of injuries, but the footballers acted respectfully.

We are used to Barcelona, they always play in the same style. We have great, great players and we made them work hard to win. They have various schemes of play. We had to double up in defence and we had some excellent counter-attacks that could have led to goals.

Unfortunately at the end of every time, the referee whistled when our team was counter-attacking. It proved again that in the matches with great clubs, referees are on their side. I can say that referee has influenced the result because at one moment there was a hundred-per-cent penalty. Everybody said this, including Guardiola and Platini. I think we deserved more than we got at the end of the game. If the referee would have been correct, he would have given a penalty. I think everybody agrees on that.

At the same time, it's extremely difficult to play against this Barcelona team. They're a great side and I'm happy because we gave a good account of ourselves. It's also a matter of courage. We made mistakes that we don't usually make, particularly when we had the ball. That made it possible for Barcelona to dominate the game.

I know how Barcelona play, I've studied them and I organised my team so they couldn't speed up play and move forward quickly. They attack with a lot of players but when they lose the ball there is room for a swift counterattack. I wonder why Spanish coaches don't examine this team well. I saw games where they had fifteen chances, something I don't understand.

We consciously acted from the defence, tried to block all zones where they built their attacks. In each zone our players backed each other. The task was to counter-attack as soon as the ball was ours. The rival was open and we had to use the spaces. We didn't always manage to do it because of the state of the field and because we didn't always made the correct decisions.

We showed a lack of experience, sometimes we were a bit scared, but our team is improving all the time. We are getting better and better and I hope that will continue. I'm happy with our game but you're always a bit bitter when you lose. It's ok to lose to a great team like Barcelona, but you don't have to be happy about it."

Read more:
Guardiola: "Messi best player I will see in my life"
European Super Cup: Barcelona-Shakhtar 1-0 (aet)