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Jari Litmanen: We lost because of field worse condition

29 March 2007 09:32 (UTC +04:00)

â€œThe field was in a bad condition. We lost the match because it was hard even to throw a pass. The ball hit rough surface and changed its directionâ€, Finland squad captain Jari Litmanen told APA-Sport after the defeat by Azerbaijan.
36-year-old midfielder said they didnâ€™t expect the defeat.
â€œI didnâ€™t expect to return the homeland with no point. We played very badly today. We are depressed after this defeatâ€, he noted.
The captain said his team had one or two chances to score goals. He stressed that they failed to score because Azeri goalkeeper displayed a decisive performance.
â€œGenerally, it was hard to make dangerous attacks. We hoped to score goal from standard positions. But Azeri goalkeeper defended attacks in free kicks and cornersâ€, he noted.
Litmanen noted the squad will gain achievements in future.
â€œWe will try to play better and gain achievements in coming encounters. I believe we will return points lost in Baku in other qualifying encountersâ€, he said.
Litmanen has played in 4 matches from 5 between Azerbaijan and Finland. /APA-Sport/