BIG THANKS TO KOHORTA

Zoran Zekic lamented his team’s defeat during Kohorta’s birthday. Kohorta wanted Osijek to win sweet points and ended up disappointed. During the conference, Zekic said the following: “The second home defeat this season, but all the more painful for our fans. We haven’t exactly made their birthday better, but I must thank them for their fanatical support during the whole game. We just weren’t on point, sadly. Lokomotiva deservingly took the win home because they exposed our weaknesses successfully, and there were plenty of them. With this roster where many of our prime starts were missing, we couldn’t find a solution, neither in the midfield, nor in ball possession or aggression. Everything was found wanting, with the odd opportunity.”

 

 

 

No one held accountable

Zekic expected far more from his squad, especially due to the fact that there was no overt reason for lack of performance. He stated:

“We stand firm and tall on the 4^th spot, unrelenting and insatiable when it comes to playing a good match. That’s why it baffles me that we played so lousily. It’s ridiculous to even talk about us underperforming, especially while having such thunderous fan support on the tribunes. Lokomotiva played a level higher than us. Our squad missed integral players, but I had the chance to let some new faces run o the pitch, like little Miskovic, who at least tried to create opportunities.”

 

Unacceptable inconsistency

The press asked how Lopa gets to enjoy so much praise and credit compared to what he brings to the table. The coach responded: “I trust him, maybe a little bit too much, but I just couldn’t see anyone perform better than he did in that particular setting.  I wouldn’t call him out, no. More players were weak links, too. Except for Skoric and boban, I think that all others underdelivered. You can’t win if you don’t aim for the goal, especially if you pass the ball in the opposite direction at every moment. In a few instances, we had penetrated the enemy lines at the midfield flanks, but there was no one left in the midfield to follow up… Only Mile’s chance was a prospective one. You can’t play one game well while underperforming in 3 consecutive ones if you play on NK Osijek. We need consistency. We set the bar high, but our boys can’t satisfy the basic criteria these days.”

 

Tomic lauds Atmosphere

The Lokos were in the mood and were razor-sharp so that all praise they had received is justified. Coach Goran Tomic said:

“We took a strong and definite stance and managed to take Osijek by surprise. Our defence was impenetrable and secure and our offense was well-executed, making Osijek lost for solutions. Lokomotiva had a good game and I am very content with what my team did. With one scored goal, we had an array of good chances, so that our victory is deserved. I would applaud the fantastic atmosphere in the stadium and if we had the same support as Osijek did, we would’ve scored even more points for sure.”