Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Lekhwiya coach Michael Laudrup was delighted with the effort of his players, who edged out Bunyodkor 1-0 at home yesterday to register their first win in the AFC Champions League this season.
Nam Tae-hee’s 28th minute penalty proved decisive as the Qatari champions battled back into contention for a spot in the last 16 after managing just a single point from their first two games.
“It was a good game and I am happy with this result,” said Laudrup. “We played well in the first half on the tactical side and we didn’t give any chances to Bunyodkor.
“It has been a very important win for my team and I am pleased with how my team played tonight,” he said.
The Dane felt that his side coped well with the home side’s pressure despite losing captain Luiz Junior to injury in the opening half.
“I think that the opponents played well and they tried to create many chances,” he said. “We had some problems with our squad and our captain (Luiz Junior) had to come off in the first-half tonight because of injury. This is why we tried to control the ball more during the game.
“Bunyodkor began the match very well but they made mistakes in the second half because maybe they wanted to score an early goal. They played such a match against Persepolis and lost at home for a second time but I still respect them and I think they still have a chance of qualifying for the next round.”
Bunyodkor had also lost their last game against Persepolis due to a penalty and coach Sergey Lushchan was frustrated with at his side’s lack of a cutting edge.
“I don’t know what to say after such a game. The main problem is you have to make use of your chances and we had several dangerous attacks but no goal,” he said.
“The players tried until the final minutes, but we couldn’t score. We made a mistake
and conceded a penalty again at home. The defenders and goalkeeper wanted to help the team but they made a mistake this time.
“Lekhwiya played well in defence but my team tried to play too quickly anyway. I really can’t say how many chances we will need to score in our next matches,” Lushchan added.
THE PENINSULA
