Spartak Moscow FC coach Valery Karpin said that a crushing 1-5 defeat from FC Porto in 2011 Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday was completely his fault.
“It is definitely only me to blame. A coach is always to blame when his team loses. [Club’s] shareholders will be deciding what to do about this,” Karpin said
He said the team showed a decent game only at the beginning of the match, but then they somehow lost it.
“We played good and equally with the opponent in the first 20-25 minutes. We had some good combinations but unfortunately did not score. After this the team stalled for some reason,” Karpin said.
Porto trainer Andre Villas-Boas said he is pleased with the result but despite the healthy lead after the first match, everything will be decided in the return game as Spartak “is a very dangerous opponent.”
The return match will be held on April 14 in the capital of Russia at Moscow Luzhniki Stadium.
PORTO, April 8 (RIA Novosti)