Neftchi midfielder Gustavo Klisman has apologized to the club's supporters after the Azerbaijani side suffered a 4-2 home defeat to Dinamo Minsk in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round.
As reported by İdman.Biz, citing sport.24.az, the Brazilian admitted his team could not explain how the match slipped away after taking an early two-goal lead.
"We started the game well. We were even leading by two goals. Then something happened that we still can't explain. Maybe it was because it was our first official match. We made individual mistakes, and that led to this result," Klisman said.
The midfielder also recalled hitting the post during the match and believes the outcome could have been different.
"If that shot had gone in, the result might have been different. We created many chances but couldn't convert them. We still have a chance. We'll keep working hard and travel for the second leg with only one objective – to win."
Klisman stressed that Neftchi had not been thinking about a potential third qualifying round opponent before the match.
"You have to approach every game with full responsibility. I'd like to thank our fans. They supported us from the first minute until the last. We couldn't repay them on the pitch, so we apologize to all Neftchi supporters. This is not the result we wanted."
Neftchi will now need to overturn a two-goal deficit in the return leg to keep their UEFA Conference League campaign alive.
