Muscat: I Don’t Think We Should Just Defend, But the Team’s Stamina Couldn’t Keep Up with the Pace Down a Man

August 17, 19:35, Round 23 of the Chinese Super League, Shanghai Port lost 1-3 to Shanghai Shenhua.

At the post-match press conference, head coach Muscat commented on the match: “Everyone can have their own view of the game. This match was altered by the red card. The timing of the red card was relatively early. At that time, I didn’t think we should just defend; we continued to create some threats. However, we conceded goals in the final stages. With one man down, the team’s stamina couldn’t keep up with the pace. However, we held out until the last ten minutes of the game, and I am still proud of the players’ efforts.”

Regarding the decision to substitute Bargasic, Muscat explained: “He was still effective on the field at the time, but he felt a bit uncomfortable. Considering his condition was unclear, we decided to replace him as a precaution.”

“Losing is certainly not a release of pressure. Losing is inevitable in the world of football, but I attribute all the credit for the previous winning streak to the players; it was their hard work that made it all possible. We should learn from this match and hope to do better in the future. Wei Zhen made a mistake today, but we still embraced him. There is another league match in four weeks, and we also have the FA Cup next week. We need to get ready and continue preparing for the upcoming matches. Tonight, we must swallow this bitter pill. We will analyze and summarize, maintaining a strong posture and moving forward.”