Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: We are disappointed

In the first leg of the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round, Beşiktaş lost 4-2 to Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk at home. Beşiktaş head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke at the post-match press conference.

"THE LAST GOAL WAS A DISAPPOINTMENT"

Opening his remarks by noting it was a difficult match, Solskjaer said: "We are disappointed. The thing that upsets me most is the four goals we conceded. We should have defended better. We created good chances. Towards the end of the match we found our momentum, but the game stopped when stoppage time was being added. Once the game stopped, we couldn't carry that into the final five minutes. It's a tough scoreline going into the second leg. We shouldn't have conceded that last goal. The last goal was a disappointment."

"IT WAS LIKE A PUNCH IN THE FACE"

The Norwegian coach drew attention to their poor defensive performance on the day, saying: "The atmosphere within the squad is very good. The players are supporting each other. Today we played against a high-quality side. Shakhtar have been bringing in young talents from Brazil for a long time. They also have a good coach. The second leg will be tough as well. It won't be easy, but we have belief. We have to score the first goal. Our defence was very poor today. We conceded simple goals. But today's mistakes have nothing to do with the pre-season camp. We lost concentration at key moments. Our opponents also played at a high level. The last goal we conceded was like a punch in the face. We defended weakly and poorly today."

"WE HAVE HAD WORSE PERFORMANCES"

Responding to a question about Gedson Fernandes starting on the left wing, the black-and-white manager said: "Gedson was better in midfield. He has only trained with us for two days. We tried to get him ready in that way. In midfield I went with Demir Ege and Orkun. Because the opponent's wide areas were effective, we thought about playing a more dynamic defence. The third goal announced itself. Our opponent kept the ball moving and we just watched. We couldn't make the necessary shift. We also left Kartal isolated there. Losing 4-2 is a bad result. We have had worse performances. Hopefully in the next match we will score the first goal and put on a good display. We conceded very easy goals. We had good chances. We could have scored more goals than our opponents. We need to defend better. Football is a game that shows the difference between those who take their chances and those who don't."

Finally addressing the Beşiktaş supporters, Solskjaer said: "They will see a better Beşiktaş next week. They will see a better Beşiktaş throughout the season. Beşiktaş will improve with every match. We have players who are not yet used to playing together. We need to integrate them with one another."