The head coach of Yerevan's "Noah," Rui Mota, described his team's victory as a historic achievement for Armenian football during a press conference after the match against the Greek AEK.
Let us remind you that "Noah" defeated AEK with a 3-2 aggregate score and advanced to the playoffs of the Conference League, where they will play against Slovak "Ružomberok."
"As I have already mentioned, we were expecting a tough match. AEK is a big team. We knew we had to be very strong, and we understood that we would have chances to score. If we had managed to score in the first half, the game would have been calmer for us. AEK hit the post in the first half, but I think we were closer to scoring. In the second half, we knew that AEK would throw everything they had to change the course of the match.
I don't know if there was a handball before the goal; I didn't see the episode, and my job is to coach, not to judge. After conceding the goal, we had to stay strong to hold on. We were mentally very tough. This is a great victory for Armenian football, as well as for our club and the people who work with us.
Chančarevič is here to do his job. He had a good match. I think not only him but the entire team. In the first match, AEK didn't have many scoring chances because our team defended well. I think everyone did a great job. Chančarevič had an excellent match, but this is the merit of the entire team, not just one player.
I don't like negative football. In today's match, the intensity was very high, and the guys gave everything they had. I understand the opponent's disappointment, but saying that "Noah" players could have injured AEK players cannot be an excuse.
The clash at the end of the match? I understand the opponent's disappointment, but I don't understand how one can fail to remain a decent person until the end. This is football; there is passion here. It’s a job that requires a lot of time and effort. I don't want to criticize anyone, but honestly, I didn't expect the opponent to react to the defeat like that."