OMONIA coach Takis Lemonis yesterday reflected on a “difficult evening” in Salzburg after the Cypriot champions were sent crashing out of the Champions League at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night.
The Austrians scored three times before half time en route to a comprehensive 4-1 victory over the Nicosia giants.
After a 1-1 draw a week earlier at the GSP Stadium, the Austrians effectively killed the tie before the break with a strike from Dusan Svento and two Franz Schiemer efforts.
Svento made the most of his opportunity in the 21st minute by firing Salzburg ahead from 25 metres and 15 minutes later, Schiemer headed in the Austrian champions’ second.
“It was a difficult evening. We had faith we could do well and up until the 37th minute when we went 2-0 down, I thought we were the more dangerous team on the pitch,” explained Lemonis.
Scheimer’s second goal came after 40 minutes when he volleyed Christoph Leitgeb’s left-wing cross past Antonis Georgallides.
“These three minutes literally killed the game off,” added the Omonia coach..
“Unfortunately for us, it is goals that count in football. Ours came very late and I think that if we were more careful in the first 20 minutes we could have had a much better result.
“However in difficult times such as these, it’s the good teams who stand strong. We now must fight to reach the group stage of the Europa League,” he said Salzburg coach Huub Stevens was delighted with his side’s performance. “The truth is that I could not believe that we were 3-0 up at half time,” he said.
“Congratulations to Omonia as they played very well in the first 20 minutes and I think we had a bit of luck, but we now have a fine continuity of results in the Champions League.
“Even from an injury, such as when Svento went off, came something positive. It was impressive how our players coped with the pressure of the game at times.
“When we were 3-0 up at the interval we wanted not to concede early in the second half as things could then have been tricky for us.
“But we scored another one and the goal we conceded at the end I do not really consider that tragic,” he explained..
