Celje defeated again, Albert Riera considerably less confident than he was not long ago: “This is all we have at this moment”
Photo: Luka Vovk / Sportida
Albert Riera experienced his third consecutive defeat on European soil, which brought Celje closer to missing an opportunity that teams like Mura and Olimpija had previously seized to secure historic appearances in European competitions. Celje was first eliminated from the Champions League, then from the Europa League, and after the first leg of the final qualifying round for the Conference League, they are now trailing 0-1.
Pjunik in Armenia was not a significantly stronger opponent, certainly not to the extent that one could claim Celje faces an impossible mission. However, it is also true that the Slovenian champion was once again lackluster and uninspired, far from scoring a goal. And without goals, there’s no success in football…
“In any case, it was clear before the match that next Thursday in Celje would be decisive for advancement. When you have high expectations, it can quickly sober you up, and we obviously need to lower our expectations. This is who we are, this is all we have at the moment. We must be self-critical, starting with me. We didn’t play that badly, but we didn’t capitalize on having an extra player in possession. Being tired is no excuse,” said a critical Albert Riera after the match in Yerevan. Riera, known for his usually optimistic, sometimes even overconfident demeanor, now adopts a tone that might further worry Celje fans, who once dreamed of a European autumn. Now, only a few still believe in such a scenario…
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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