Nir Biton summed up the qualification for the conference playoffs despite the 2:1 loss to Aris Thessaloniki in the second round of the third round: “Some will say a heroic game? I’m one of those who will say that these were the longest 40 minutes of my life. Every 10 minutes I looked at the clock. In the middle of the game when we received the red I told myself that this is our chance to show that we are men, to show that we have character and that this team looks different. Today was a test of character for us.”
“It was a difficult test, against a volcano and we passed the test,” Bitton added. “At Bloomfield I expect more than that next week. Bloomfield with a full occupancy is something else. We also saw the impact and strength they give against Aris in Tel Aviv and we need more of that next week. We need the fans to come and push us until the last minute so that we can get well to the rematch and in We will make them happy.”
About Eran Zahavi: “What is there to say. It’s amazing to see this man. He never ends. Every time he gives something different. Eran is a character, a figure. Off the field and on the field. He influences with winarity and the desire to win all the time. With the expectations and the high level he is Demands from every player at every moment in training.”
Saborit: “We have a strong team and I hope we will prove it against Nice as well”
At the end of the game, defender Saborit concluded: We are happy because we qualified. The game was very difficult, the stadium here was in an amazing atmosphere. But we had our fans who helped us. We did a good job at Bloomfield and that gave us the advantage to get past them. We worked throughout the preparation period to play games like this. I think we have a strong team to play such games. I think that even in the next game against Nice, we have a good enough team to work hard and do everything and qualify for the group stage.”
“I hope the fans understand who we are playing against in the next game and understand that we need everyone next week in Bloomfield.”