Paide Linnameeskond’s European campaign ended in Vienna as Rapid Vienna completed a 6-1 aggregate win in the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round.
Head coach Tarmo Kink said the Austrian side proved too strong over two legs, but praised his players for their effort. “Of course it hurts to lose the match,” Kink told Soccernet TV. “But I’m proud of the team. We fought bravely and we don’t have to come back with our tails between our legs. Over two matches the better team went through, but hats off to the lads – they gave everything, and that’s what a coach wants to see.”
Kink added that Paide did not need extra motivation going into the game, but he urged his squad to embrace the occasion. “To play a good opponent in a great stadium and in front of a big crowd is special. You have to enjoy it. I didn’t have any magic words or phrases before the match,” he said.
Paide started confidently, but Kink acknowledged Rapid’s grip on the game grew as the night went on. “We were quite brave and played well. Rapid maybe didn’t quite believe it at first or didn’t fully go with the game right away,” he added. “At some point they pushed us deeper, but I wouldn’t say they were unbelievably dangerous. They got down the flanks well, but through the middle they didn’t really manage to unlock us.”
Rapid scored first in the 38th minute after a long VAR check, with Kink suggesting Paide’s defensive line did not hold together for the situation. “It didn’t click for our back line. As you could see it was tight. VAR looked at it for quite a while – it’s a shame to concede like that,” he said.
The hosts doubled their lead from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute after a foul by Michael Lilander close to the edge of the area. Kink said the incident looked outside the box on replay, but accepted officials may have made the correct call. “Because it took so long, I don’t know if it had to be moved into the box,” he said. “It seemed to me the foul was before the penalty-area line. But emotions were running high and maybe the referees made the right decision.”
Looking back at the tie, Kink said Paide had not yet been ready to deal with that level of opponent, but believed the run would still prove valuable. “We weren’t ready to take on such a big bite yet,” he said. “But it’s a good place to build from. I hope the players gained a lot of confidence from these European matches. We showed we can play, and when we have to suffer, we have to do that too.”
Paide made changes to their starting line-up for the second leg, with Henri Anier and Hindrek Ojamaa coming in for Abdourahman Badamosi and Edgar Turi. Kink said Turi had been carrying a minor injury and stressed the need for depth. “A coach can make those decisions sometimes,” he concluded. “I think Hindrek and Henri played an excellent game.”
___________________
Source: https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/eurohooaja-viinis-lopetanud-kink-see-oli-veel-natuke-liiga-suur-tukk-haukamiseks
