Super Eagles and Red Star Belgrade winger Peter Olayinka has weighed in on his side’s chances of lifting the UEFA Europa League following their 1-1 draw against Celtic, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 29-year-old played just one minute in the clash against the Hoops at the Stadion Rajko Mitić, coming out in the 90th minute, as he’s still being eased into action after suffering an Achilles tendon injury.
On the opposing side was Kelechi Iheanacho, who broke the deadlock in the 55th minute after coming on at half-time. Former West Ham and Inter Milan attacker, Marko Arnautovic, scored the equaliser ten minutes later.
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After the game, Olayinka admitted the result between both teams was a fair reflection of the way the match played out.
“We were not disappointed with the outcome, and our manager did not show any disapproval of our performance,” the four-cap Super Eagles star told Flashscore.com.
“I think everyone accepted the result for what it was. In football, sometimes things simply don’t go the way you want, no matter how much effort you put in.
“From inside the locker room, I could see that many of the players carried a positive energy despite the setback. There was no sense of negativity or frustration dragging the team down.
“Instead, there is a shared belief that we can improve and perform better in the next match. Everyone is already preparing mentally and physically, looking forward to the next game with confidence and motivation.
“It was a really balanced game, you know, and I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was one we could have won comfortably.
“Celtic created plenty of chances, but we also had our own opportunities to score. In the end, the match finished level, which I feel was a fair outcome.
“Overall, it was a 50-50 contest, and the positive is that we can still improve and grow stronger.”
Olayinka speaks on Belgrade’s Europa chances
Quizzed about his side’s chances of going into the latter stages of Europe’s second most-prized competition, the 188cm-tall forward said;
“I think it is still early to make any strong judgments, you know, because we still have time and there are more matches to play,” he continued.
“I believe that after the third and fourth games, we will have a much clearer idea. Those games will really decide whether we are prepared and ready to go further or not,” Olayinka concluded.
FK Crvena Zvezda are currently top of the Serbian Super Liga, but their Europa League journey will see them take on heavyweights like FC Porto, Braga, LOSC Lille, FSCB, Malmö FF, and Celta Vigo.