Pyramids Coach Praises His Team’s Character Against Sundowns
Pyramids coach Krunoslav Jurčić highlighted his team’s impressive ability to score late in games, citing their propensity to find the back of the net in the last five minutes of matches.
Jurčić’s words were vindicated when Walid El Karti scored a back-post header in the 94th minute to equalize for Pyramids in the CAF Champions League first leg final at Loftus Stadium on Saturday, after Lucas Ribeiro had given Sundowns the lead in the 54th minute.
“In this competition this season, we scored in the last five minutes maybe 15th and 20th times,” Jurčić said.
The coach praised his team’s performance: “I believe that I can transmit energy to my players, and they performed very well today. I’m a very happy coach.
“I can’t say I’m disappointed with the draw, it’s a positive result but normally, I say it at all times, big teams, big teams – maybe we need more time but big teams score with half chances, only half chances.
“I think today [Saturday], I don’t want to speak about 100% chances, but we had three or four situations where we had to score one or two goals. Maybe if I analyze this, I could say I’m disappointed, but in the end, Sundowns scored and we came back, I’m satisfied with the result, but I believe it’s only the first half.”
The match was a closely contested affair, with both teams creating scoring opportunities. Pyramids had several chances to take the lead or extend their advantage, but ultimately had to settle for a draw.
Jurčić emphasized that he had hoped his team would capitalize on their chances, but he was pleased with the draw.
As Pyramids prepares for the second leg on the first of June at the 30 June Stadium in Egypt, Jurčić will be looking for his team to improve their finishing and capitalize on their chances.
The draw has set up an intriguing rematch, and Pyramids will look to build on their late-game heroics to secure their first-ever Champions League triumph.
The Croatian mentor also expressed mixed feelings about their draw. While he wasn’t disappointed about the results, the former Al-Nasr coach had concerns about his team’s finishing.
“I’m happy with the results because we still have to face them again,” he said.
However, he was concerned about his team’s finishing, saying, “We had many chances but failed to score with those chances. If you do analytics about the chances we created, I can be disappointed.”
Jurčić’s mixed feelings reflect the complexities of the game, where a team can be pleased with the result but disappointed with their performance.
As Pyramids looks to overcome Sundowns in the second leg, Jurčić will be working to address his team’s finishing issues and capitalize on their chances.
