Pereira: It Was Not a Perfect Match for Us

In the third round of the Ziraat Turkish Cup, Alanyaspor beat 12 Bingölspor 4-1 at home to advance to the next round. The match was one the team had to win today, and that goal was achieved.

Speaking after the game, head coach Joao Pereira stressed the importance of the result but made it clear he was not satisfied with the performance. Pereira said that in some parts of the match the score could have been much different, and that at other moments the equalizer was never broken. Assessing the quality of the game, Pereira said, "It was not a perfect match for us."

Pereira reminded reporters that he had made 11 changes to the team for this match. He said the players who took the field, although they had trained together, did not show the same understanding in terms of match rhythm, and that this affected the flow of the game. Even so, he said the result was important for the team.

The coach also pointed to the opponent. Pereira described how Bingölspor had played a match two days earlier, then travelled without a training session and took the field without rest. Despite these conditions, he said, the opponent put up a great fight on the pitch and never gave up the match. Pereira congratulated the Bingölspor players and their coaching staff.