Svensson: We have to be honest - Polissia were better over two matches

Bo Svensson did not hide his respect for Zhytomyr Polissia after Copenhagen edged into the next round of Conference League qualifying. The Danish side won the second leg 2:1, but the manager, quoted by Bold.dk, was straightforward about the balance of the tie: over two matches, the Ukrainian team had been the better side. "Now everyone has seen that the team we are playing against is not that bad. We had problems again, but we defended better than in the previous two matches. The second half became a battle when we played with one man fewer for 45-50 minutes. This is already the third match in six days, but the players did everything to protect the win, and I really respect them for that," Svensson said. Copenhagen struggled to get close to a well-drilled opponent, and Svensson admitted the performance was not what he wants from his team. "This is not the football we want to play, but the main thing is to go through. We are through and we need to get better. It is no secret, but it is important for this club to play in Europe." The Copenhagen coach praised his players' effort in the second half and pointed out that Polissia did not create much over the 90 minutes. "Apart from long-range shots. Let them shoot from 25 meters. We have to honestly say that over two matches the opponent was better, but we had decisive attacking moments from Robert, and in this match we defended well."