Plovdiv players behaved like world champions, I believed in justice, says Hofmann

Slovácko, as the first Czech team, finished in the preliminary round of the European Cups, losing on penalties to Lokomotiv Plovdiv. What did their experienced defender Stanislav Hofmann say after the match?

Slovácko took the lead in the first half and were clearly better for the rest of the match. However, out of twenty-three attempts, only one was a goal, while the mainstays Lukáš Sadílek and Václav Jureček were not able to score at all.

“We started the match well. The way we wanted to. We scored a goal and then we continued our performance. We should have added a second one and decided. We had pressure, a lot of chances and centres,” Hofmann said in an interview with the club website.

With the score 1-0 on the scoreboard after 120 minutes, it was a penalty shootout in which three players failed.

“Penalties? That’s how it is. One is happier, the other is sadder. Of course we are also sorry about the Plovdiv goal at the end. But we knew what we were getting into before the rematch and we erased the deficit quickly.”

Hofmann himself didn’t dare to execute. Considering the result, it was probably a mistake, the experienced defender has already played several big games and would certainly have been able to handle the pressure.

“He didn’t want to… Everybody gave before the game in training and I didn’t. The guys who wanted to go, went for it. Quite a few signed up. I didn’t usually give penalties in the past. That’s why I left it to others.”

Losing on penalties can really mess with players. Even more so when Slovácko was better in both games. But his players need to get their heads right quickly, they play Czech Budejovice this weekend.

“The next day we have a training session… I’ll be distracted by the kids during the day, I won’t have time to think about it. Life goes on, we have to work. The season has just started. They’ve been stalling, they’ve been cooped up. They acted like world champions. I believed they’d come back in penalties. But I don’t think the football was fair now.”

Source: 1. FC Slovácko