FC St.Gallen drew 0-0 at home against Trabzonspor in the first leg of the Conference League play-off. The assessment of captain Lukas Görtler and coach Enrico Maassen.
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- For the first time in ages, an FC St.Gallen match ends goalless.
- Without the intervention of the VAR, the series would have lasted even longer. In the 86th minute, FCSG attacker Willem Geubbels' goal was disallowed.
- Captain Lukas Görtler and coach Enrico Maassen are reasonably satisfied with the 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Conference League play-offs against Trabzonspor.
For the first time in well over 100 games, a match involving St.Gallen ended goalless. On the one hand thanks to numerous saves by FCSG goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi, on the other - and this is painful for St.Gallen - because the VAR intervened after Willem Geubbels' header in the 86th minute and the supposed winning goal was disallowed.
When asked whether St.Gallen had used up their VAR luck in the second leg against Slask Wroclaw, captain Lukas Görtler said in the SRF interview after the 0-0 draw against Trabzonspor: "I've said often enough that I'm not a fan of VAR. In Wroclaw, if I had been on the opposing team, I would have been just as upset about the decisions."
He hadn't seen the scene yet, but it felt like every corner kick was "held and tugged". If the game is then decided by a video decision like that, it's bitter. "I'd be in favor of just leaving out the VAR," says Görtler, even smiling.
Görtler is only half satisfied with the draw. "It annoys me because of the second half. I think we would have been satisfied at half-time." Overall, however, he is very satisfied with FCSG's development. The fact that they are playing their sixth competitive game of the season with a clean sheet is certainly "no coincidence". On Thursday, however, they will also need a very strong goalkeeper: "Of course, we have to thank Zigi today, we conceded too much in the first half," said Görtler.
Maassen: "Not a bad result for the second leg"
After seven wins and two defeats, St.Gallen played to a draw for the first time under Enrico Maassen. "I think we started a bit shy and got lucky in two situations. In the second half, the team played a very, very good game. It's a shame that the goal didn't count in the end," was the brief analysis of the FCSG coach, who can live with the draw: "I don't think 0-0 is a bad result for the second leg either."
The interviewer wants to know whether he will thank Zigi in a special way. Maassen waves it off: "No, Zigi is in good form like many other players. It's his job to keep the ball. And he's doing it very well at the moment."
