Cosmi saultes Udinese spirit
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Article summary
Udinese Calcio coach Seri Cosmi hailed his side's never-say-die attitude after they stole a late victory against Panathinaikos FC in athens.
Article body
Vincent Candela capped a remarkable late comeback at the Spyros Louis stadium in Athens as Udinese Calcio defeated Panathinaikos FC 2-1 to climb into second in Group C. The French left-back struck a superb goal from long range with just seven minutes remaining, less than two minutes after Vincenzo Iaquinta had cancelled out Constantinos Charalambides' strike in first-half added time. Udinese can now seal their place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League by avoiding defeat at home by section winners FC Barcelona on Matchday 6, while Panathinaikos can still salvage a UEFA Cup spot with a draw against Werder Bremen.
Alberto Malesani, Panathinaikos coach
There are several factors that can decide a match. Our defeat today is largely due to a lucky goal scored by Iaquinta, who had not even seen the ball that landed at his feet. Once again, our lack of experience and stability became obvious, because you can't afford to lose matches you control. If we play like we did today in Bremen in a fortnight, we can get a positive result. But we need to avoid making mistakes as everything can change in five minutes. The defeat today was harsh for the players but they played very well and the applause by our fans at the end of the game shows they appreciated their effort.
Sersi Cosmi, Udinese coach
In football, everything can change, right up to the last minute - you've got to try your luck and we did just that. Despite not being at our best in the first half, we didn't deserve to concede that late goal. After the break we proved we are in excellent physical shape and displayed the will to fight back and get the result we deserved. The first goal means we qualify for the UEFA Cup at the very least. In our last match, we have the advantage of playing at home, but the disadvantage of facing Barcelona. Even a draw will be like a win for us. It's the first time we have played in such a prestigious competition and it's obvious that we lack experience. But we're very proud of what we've achieved so far.
