Kazakhstan head coach John van 't Schip called the home draw with the Faroe Islands in the Nations League a loss of two points: Kazakhstan trailed 0-2 but managed to equalize at 2-2, reports infohub.kz.
According to the specialist, the hosts started the match actively, but after conceding the first goal they lost confidence and allowed the opponent to impose their own game.
"It was a very interesting game in which chances arose for both teams. The match turned out to be quite open. I think we played well and actively for the first 20 minutes, but after conceding we lost confidence and a bit of control over the game. After that, the Faroe Islands were able to impose their football," Amanvibe.kz quotes the coach as saying.
The Faroes took the lead in the 22nd minute through a goal by Petur Knudsen, and after the break Geza Turi doubled the visitors' advantage. Kazakhstan got back into the game after Martin Agnarsson was sent off: Sergei Malyi reduced the deficit in the 68th minute, and Nuraly Alip equalized in the 76th.
"In the second half, we conceded again from a corner. We had to take risks and push forward. After the left wing-back was sent off for a second yellow card, we almost immediately got back into the game thanks to Malyi's goal. We knew we still had a chance to equalize and kept pushing forward. Unfortunately, then Malyi received a red card. After that, the match ended 2-2. So now there is a feeling that we lost two points," van 't Schip said.
In the 85th minute, Malyi was sent off for a foul on Mattias Hellisdal. The teams played the final minutes with 10 men each, and the score did not change.
The coach noted that the players tried to stick to the original plan, but the course of the match forced the staff to make adjustments.
"I always try to get the players to follow our instructions, but at the same time you have to take into account the opponent's actions. Sometimes, depending on how the match develops and how the opponent plays, you have to change something during the game or at half-time. But the players, of course, try to do what we demand of them."
According to van 't Schip, the teams created roughly a comparable number of dangerous chances, although they played differently.
"Today, I think the game was even in terms of chances created. We had more possession, while the opponent was dangerous on counterattacks and through direct play. We had more of the ball and tried to create chances through positional attacks," the coach noted.
After four rounds of the current Nations League, Kazakhstan remains without a win. Van 't Schip's team drew twice with the Faroes – 1-1 and 2-2 – and also lost to Slovakia (1-2) and Moldova (1-2). Thus, the national team has two points after four matches. Kazakhstan will play its next match on November 13 away against Moldova.