Maccabi Tel Aviv wanted to continue tonight (Thursday) with another big European performance, but this time the task was a bit big for them – Shakhtar Donetsk defeated them 0: 2. Despite the home loss in the last 32 in the Europa League, the Yellows have tried to take the positive things in dealing with Manor Solomon’s powerful side.
“I feel that with the situations we had we were able to balance the outcome at some point,” he was disappointed Patrick Van Leven. “We had a hard time preventing them from getting to the field and capturing the second gate.” The coach also referred to the rematch in Ukraine, and he really does not think the story is over. “It’s impossible to give up a game. We will try to play our way, and give a good performance there.”
“We knew it was going to be a tough game and we tried to be organized and not absorb from them,” the Dutchman added. “We had opportunities in the first half but we weren’t accurate enough up front.” Van Leven was also asked about his feeling in the meeting with the ex: “They are not my friends from the past. I am still in touch with people from Shakhtar, and it is fun to meet them again, even if they are opponents of the pitch.”
Van Leven also referred to the difficult schedule, when his team will meet Hapoel Beer Sheva in the cup as early as Sunday. “We have a lot of other players on the roster who are able to do the job and we believe in them.”
