Rubin Kazan Coach Kurban Berdyev praised his team’s efforts in eliminating ‘one of the best teams in Europe’ in Atletico Madrid.
Losing 1-0 this Thursday evening at home, the Russians held on for a 2-1 aggregate win over the Spanish, to eliminate the competition’s defending champions.
“Knocking out Atletico Madrid has great value. We removed one of the best teams in Europe,” enthused Berdyev afterwards.
“Due to players being out, many players had to play out of their normal position, thus preventing the team to show their true selves.
“We did not feel pressure until the injury to Natcho and the expulsion of Cesar Navas. The rest of the game was quiet as we were confident enough in defence.”
