Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu frustrated by Bayern Munich's persistent fouling
Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu has suggested Bayern Munich adopted an unsporting approach in their goalless draw on Tuesday. He said rampant fouling from the German side kept his team from performing to their potential.
Shakhtar managed just one shot on target despite being the home team. Bayern were penalised for 20 fouls and were issued five yellow cards. Xabi Alonso, who was dismissed in the 65th minute, accounted for two of them.
Lucescu said, “Sometimes we tried to play on the offensive but when we did that, Bayern's players fouled us.”
Lucescu happy his players held firm against Bayern
Lucescu, however, insisted his players accomplished their goal of staying in reach for an deciding second leg at Munich.
He said, “I'm satisfied with our performance and the result," he said. "We had our last competitive game two and a half months ago and we looked fine tonight. We still have a chance.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to play our game even when Xabi Alonso was sent off. We couldn't gain enough possession and made a few mistakes. We are far from our best form, of course. This is a problem for us but we have time to change it.”
“Bayern have their style and it's very important that we were able to close down their attackers. It was a first competitive game for us this year. Bayern have lots of experienced players while we have many young ones.”
“The difference is so great and it's amazing that our players managed to stand firm against such quality opponents.”