Bus will come to our rescue

Neman loves travelling and surprising

Whatever these guys may lack, they definitely have plenty of stamina and perseverance. According to the already established habit, FC Neman Grodno set off to play the European Cup football matches by bus, not intimidated by a long distance or road inconveniences. Furthermore, the Belarusian team did not lose face, giving a fitting rebuff to the Romanian CFR Cluj club in the first match of the second qualifying round of the Conference League. More than 24 hours and thousands of kilometres on the road from Belarus’ Grodno to Romania’s Cluj-Napoca did not diminish the team’s fighting spirit — Igor Kovalevich’s squad fought valiantly and fiercely, preventing the home team from scoring a single goal. A goalless draw opens up good prospects for Neman. 

CFR Cluj’s head coach Dan Petrescu gave an exhaustive comment on the match, “I knew what kind of match to expect and I talked about it the day before,” stated the Romanian football legend. “Clubs in the post-Soviet space are very well prepared physically, aggressive and well organised. Neman has had the same coach for eight years; they performed very well on the field, played simply and correctly, without taking unnecessary risks. The first half of the match was balanced. We had our chances, just like them. In the second half, we put pressure, created several chances, and we also had two potential penalties that the referee did not award in our favour. But now we know Neman, we know what will happen in the second match. At the same time, Grodno has no matches, they will rest. It is going to be a tough match. There is a possibility of extra time and penalties, anything is possible.” 
Neman’s chances of a positive outcome could at least double if the second leg were played at their home stadium in Grodno. However, due to UEFA sanctions, Belarusian clubs have long had no right to host their rivals in Belarus, which initially puts them at a disadvantage. Well, let us play in Hungary, especially since this country has become almost like a home away from home for our teams. Despite all the obstacles, Igor Kovalevich and his team can and should fight to move into the third round of the Conference League — they have everything to win, including the bus, which they so successfully put on the opponent’s way in the first match.

By Sergei Kanashits