Zielinski and Dumfries: "A solid performance, but we're disappointed not to have won"

“It was a good match, but we needed to be more focused and aggressive in some moments to avoid conceding those counterattacks. In the end, we drew a game that felt like a victory was within reach. What was missing? The fifth goal. There were opportunities to close out the match, but unfortunately, the ball just didn't go in. I'm satisfied with our performance, but there’s also a sense of regret for not securing the win. As for the penalty? We practised taking penalties again this morning, and I felt confident, so Lautaro took the ball and came to me. Scoring my first goal with this prestigious shirt was amazing, and I want to score more. Regarding the second goal, Lautaro asked me the same question, and I said yes again. There’s definitely a lot of disappointment over the result because we could have finished the game with that fifth goal. We weren't able to do it, and unfortunately, we allowed their comeback and the equaliser. Sometimes we concede goals too easily, which is certainly an area we need to improve upon, as last year this team rarely allowed such goals.”

“We controlled the game and played well, but we weren't always sharp and failed to close it out, despite having opportunities. Our aim was to keep them away from our goal, given their quality, but we conceded too many counterattacks, and they excelled in one-on-one situations. We will continue to work on improving. While we are strong defensively, we are currently giving away too much. We need to discuss this further and strive to do better.”