Leonid Slutskiy: I'm happy that we showed our character and saved the game
— We were forced to go for a victory due to our position in the group. I think that in the first half we did a good job, we had more chances than our opponents. It was very unpleasing to concede before the break, but I'm glad that we showed our character and quality and saved such a game. The intrigue in our group is still alive.
— Aleksandrs Cauna played in the starting XI for the first time this season, while Georgy Milanov and Zoran Tosic were left on the bench. What was behind this decision?
— Pontus Wernbloom got injured. Moreover, we took risks by letting Bibars Natcho play as he hasn't fully recovered yet. We should give him a credit for playing the whole match in a great way. It would be suicidal to play without defensive midfielder, and Cauna was the only choice we had. He missed much time, though he performed good today.
— Would you tell us how the situation with Wernbloom and Natcho unfolded in the last few days?
— After the game in Krasnodar Wernbloom had a medical examination, and it became pretty clear that he has almost no chances to play today. Natcho got injured in the match of his national team. But his injury doesn't have such a big impact. I'd like to praise our doctors and Bibars, who himself decided to play tonight.
— After you conceded a goal, which options to enforce your side did you have?
— Today we had a couple of attacking players on the bench, and we let Milanov and Tosic off the substitutes. We didn't have enough freshness, but with such a busy schedule it's impossible to maintain highest fitness level. Roma weren't that fresh at the end of the match either.
Moscow, Russia
Roma,
Italia