Maccabi Tel Aviv fell to Lugano 2-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League Playoff Round tie. The return leg takes place next Thursday in Batumi, Georgia and will be the yellow-and-blue’S home match of the two legged tie.

Following the match in Lugano, Head Coach Kenny Miller spoke about his side’s performance, “It was a good game. I’m coming away with very positive feelings about our performance in the second half. I have no doubt that we can get the win next week. The Lugano players were very aggressive in the first half. They pressed us and made it difficult for us to settle and find our rhythm. The second half was completely different. We created several promising attacks, found a much better rhythm and had a lot of possession.”

The coach added, “We managed to get back into the game and it’s very disappointing to concede the penalty in the way that we did. They are a good team that has started the season extremely well. That’s why it’s disappointing to come away with a defeat. At the same time, in a two-legged tie, this contest is still completely alive. We didn’t create many big chances apart from the goal, but we had a few half-chances: Roy Revivo hit the crossbar with an excellent shot and there was another opportunity from a set piece near the near post, the kind of chance that sometimes goes in. We definitely need to be more creative in the final third and create more scoring opportunities.”

Maccabi’s goal scorer Ido Shahar also spoke about the result, “Honestly, I would have been much happier if we had won and received the perfect birthday present. I’m happy about the goal, but unfortunately we lost in the end. Nevertheless, we fully believe that, with the support of the fans next week in Batumi, we will get the job done.”

The midfielder added, “They are a very strong and intense team. It’s no coincidence that they are leading the Swiss league with a perfect record, but this is Europe. These are the kinds of games you fight for titles and championships for, to reach the group stages. We need to know how to overcome opponents of this level, and I believe we will do it in the second leg.”