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MOLDOVA – BULGARIA 2:3 (0:1)

Match for the 11th place

January 11th, 2016, St. Petersburg, Peterburgsky SCC, 100 spectators

Best players: Vitalie Damascan, Stanislav Ivanov

Post match comments

Veaceslav Rusnac, Head coach of team Moldova:

– It's the last game of the tournament, so we decided to give everyone an opportunity to play, to see the nearest reserves and to let the guys show what they are capable of. And the game has given us much information. Some passed the "combat test" and some did not. But this is football, and we are still in the beginning of a long way. We were bad in the first half and a little better the second. But our team just couldn't bear so many games in such a short time.

– But you still managed to make a comeback from 0:2?

– The result wasn't pressing us. It doesn't matter whether it's the 11th or the 12th place. What mattered was to see the guys in action.

– Vitalie Damascan came to a substitution after a half-time and scored two goals. Perhaps if you let him play the whole match the result would be different?

– We know Vitalie very well, and we know his capabilities. We can see his play often. So we wanted to look at other forwards.

– You gave Cristian Ursu only half an hour on the pitch. He came in the second half and was substituted in 30 minutes.

– He makes mistakes often. In the first game his mistake resulted in a goal, and the same today. We had to make a substitution before, as our back got injured and we had to reorganize. We send Ursu onto the pitch in the second. But he's a very emotional guy and he is worrying much about the team. And he failed to complete the task, so we had to substitute him.

– You said that your second half was better than the first. Do you connect it with anything?

– Our skill level doesn't allow us to play equally against everybody during entire matches.

– Have you made any personal discoveries throughout the tournament?

– I liked the tournament because we could look at the guys in routine and everyday life. How they stand physical and psychological loads, beacuse playing in a day or every day is very hard. And there are players who didn't give me a reason to doubt their skills, and those who disappointed me. I was disappointed with their lack of character and combat qualities. We are a team which needs such qualities because our individual skills don't reach the preferable level.

– What about the whole impression about the tournament? Whom did you like more and whom did you like less? Players or teams?

– It's a very useful tournament. But it would be better to shift the terms a bit. We lack proper preparation. We gather a week before the New Year, then we have a break and then we need to go and play. It would be great if we had a week of preparation after the New Year. As for the rivals, we liked team Japan because of its organization and discipline. That's what we need to be striving for. No stars, no bright personalities, but they play great. And we also liked the team of Finland. They were not afraid of changing tactical schemes. When they have to play from defense they play from defense, when they need counterattacks, there you go. If they need to change to positional attacking – why not. And they have very good players. Naturally I would note team Russia as well. But those two stand a bit higher for me.

Viktorio Pavlov, Head coach of team Bulgaria:

– I will let myself to make such a comment: we had a middle quality match today according to my standards. I was not happy with the players most of the time. But there's an explanation to this. We played four matches and players got tired. It's this fatigue that influenced the course of the match.

– You rated the game as a "middle quality", but it brought a positive result. Was it worth showing such a level in previous matches and getting three points?

– Yes, you are right that such play brought result today, but it's not a fact that it would have been the same in other matches. This is football, and it's not always logical. We converted our chances today and could score more. Such games boost confidence in players for the future.

– What do you think are the reasons of such non-impressive play other than fatigue?

– Being tired is already a significant reason. Many players were on pitch for entire 90 minutes throughout all four matches. It was difficult for them today and we did not perform as a strong and aggressive team. Moldova might have not shown their best today and it was mostly our mistakes that led to dangerous moments and conceded goals.

– Your player has made a first hat-trick on the tournament today. Could you tell us more about him? Is he a stable scorer or is this just a one match good luck?

– I am proud that it's a Bulgaria player that scored the first hat-trick here. I can say that Ivanov, the scorer, was nominated the best player in his age in Bulgaria. So this is not an accident and not a coincidence that he played well.

#28 Moldova - Bulgaria