Shakhtar boss Marino Pusic says he was disappointed that his team lost by one goal to Arsenal on Tuesday.
The Ukraine side are still winless in the Champions League after falling 1-0 to the Gunners at the Emirates.
An own goal from Dmytro Riznyk in the first half was what decided the game for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s men finally find themselves back on track after the loss to Bournemouth last weekend.
The Gunners also kept a clean sheet for the first time in three games, something Arteta told the players to resolve after a recent run of conceding goals.
Shakhtar boss feels unlucky to lose close game
Champions League 2024/25 Arsenal v FC Shakhtar Donetsk Champions League 2024/25 Arsenal v FC Shakhtar Donetsk Emirates Stadium. Dmytro Riznyk of Shakhtar Donetsk own goal 1-0. 22.10.2024 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxAUTxSUIxONLY Copyright: xMarcxAsplandx NINTCHDBPICT000942951881
The match was tightly contested by both sides, and Shakhtar frustrated Arsenal for large parts of the game. The Ukraine side even had more passes and shots than the gunners in the second half.
Arsenal could have killed off the game in the 77th minute but Leandro Trossard missed the penalty to put the game to bed.
Marino Pusic said it hurt to lose by one goal especially with the chances his side created towards the end of the game:
“Yes, of course, it is a pity because we had opportunities to score an equaliser at the end. I always say it is better to lose with your philosophy than lose without it. So we lost, we have to congratulate the opponent because, again, this is an incredible team.”
The Shakhtar boss commended his team for their performance and even praised Riznyk who was unfortunate to score the own goal that decided the game.
“ Riznyk also was outstanding, but I think all my players deserve compliments for the way we played, showed ourselves and worked. Because, as you understand, we are not pushed to defend low in the domestic league – actually, we never defend low. So it is a tremendous challenge when you are playing in the Champions League against an opponent of that quality, when you are pushed back to defend in the low block. We had the right strategy, it worked pretty well, the guys implemented it very well. Because we are a team that mostly has approximately 70-75 percent in ball possession in our league. And it is not easy to mentally switch to the opposite, but we achieved that. And this is a great success of my team.”
The gunners avoided any red cards and this game, and will hope to follow Thomas Partey’s comments as they face Liverpool in the league this weekend.
