Sapinto: Several players did not meet our expectations/we believe in Esteghlal’s championship

According to Fars news agency from JamAfter Esteghlal’s 1-0 victory over South Pars, Ricardo Sapinto stated in a press conference: I think the first half of the game was very competitive. South Pars team ran and fought very well. They were very well organized. His players were interested in playing at this level. We couldn’t play the game I wanted. The grass was a bit long and it was difficult for us to play fast. We did not play the first half of that game with the quality we wanted. The opposing team played very well, ran and defended.

* Several players did not meet our expectations

He added: “We didn’t do what we always do in assisting and passing.” We have some good and quality players who did not meet our expectations in this game. This week was very difficult for us. I think this week and after the game against Persepolis, some players had a difficult situation emotionally. Maybe this upset some players, but as I told them, we were better in positioning and shooting in the game against Persepolis. We had 3 chances to shoot, but that’s football.

* We believe that we can become heroes

Esteghlal head coach continued: We were not given a penalty in the derby and everyone saw that the referee did not act correctly. They should forget that game. Done. They should continue and be better for the next game. We still have a lot of opportunity and we believe that we can win the championship, but first we had to win South Pars. I think some of our players were not 100% focused for this game.

* We did not underestimate the opponent

Sapinto said: This week was difficult for the players because of the previous defeat. In today’s game, we should have scored earlier and established a better result, but that’s what the knockout cup is all about. South Pars is a very good team in League One and can reach the Premier League. We did not underestimate the opponent and we knew their value. They fought, ran and worked well. We woke up in the second half and created many chances. You have to score two or three goals for the entire game against these teams. We missed many opportunities. As long as you don’t end the game with 3-2 goals, they will believe, attack and pressure to take the game away from you, but congratulations to the opposing team.

* We are fighting for the championship in the league and the knockout cup

Regarding whether he is not thinking about the Premier League championship and is focused on the elimination cup, he said: We are focused on all the competitions we participate in. We will fight to win both championships. In Esteghlal, we always fight to win all titles and championships.

* I am emotional, but I respect the judges

Regarding the refereeing of this game, Sapinto said: I think there was another penalty that the referee should have taken. The referee tried his best. He was excited. I am also emotional, but I always respect all judges. I had good communication with the fourth referee during the game. Maybe I didn’t deserve the yellow card he gave, but I forgot about it. In the end, there may be some issues that I don’t like, but it did its job very well.

The head coach of the Esteghlal football team said that if the result was the other way around, he would have been satisfied with the refereeing.

* Player number 5 of South Pars was a big surprise

Regarding the players of the opposing team, he said: I should have read about the Pars team. He has a young coach who played in Esteghlal, they have some good players. They didn’t play their left winger, maybe he has an injury. I think number 72 or 74 was a good player. Also, their attackers had good players. No. 5 had a great performance in central defense and was a big surprise.

* Mohebi was not good today, Qaidi should join the national team

Regarding Mohebi and Qaidi’s condition, Sapinto said: They are very good players. Mohebi is now in the national team. Today he didn’t play the game we wanted, but sometimes it happens. He is a very hardworking and talented player. Qaidi performed very well today. With this level he had today, he should reach the national team.

* Maybe bottle throwing is a culture!

Esteghlal head coach said about whether the fans stopped the game and whether his protests provoked them: No, I behaved differently today, but I saw a lot of water bottles being thrown from both sides. Maybe it’s a culture that sometimes if the fans are not happy they throw bottles on the ground, but I went and told them not to throw anything because we won the game and I didn’t want it to stop. I tried to tell them to forgive the referee, calm down and let the game play out.

* Sometimes I have to practice on the sidelines!

He stated that his movements stress the team’s players and they don’t have the necessary concentration: (Laughing) We won the Super Cup. Now we are one step away from the final of the FA Cup and we have a chance to win the league. You ask me this question after 10 months?! I will reply with my results. It’s not fair, but I have to say that I don’t have time to practice during the week and sometimes I have to practice on the sidelines!

* The head coach of Esteghlal is under pressure from the first day to the end

Esteghlal head coach said: “The pressure is always there.” The head coach of Esteghlal is under pressure from the first day to the last day and I love this pressure.

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