Article by Adrian Duţă – Published Friday, December 19, 2025, 01:18 / Updated Friday, December 19, 2025 01:35
AEK Athens – CS Universitatea Craiova 3-2. Former international Emil Săndoi entered the GSP Live Special immediately after the failure in Greece and criticized the performance of the players entering the second half.
Former player at FC Universitatea Craiova, champion in 1991, and former coach at Mihai Rotaru's team, between 2014 and 2016, Săndoi stated that the players who entered the second half contributed to the team's downfall. Sandoi directly accused Houri, who committed the penalty in overtime, converted by Jovic in the last phase.
Alexandru Crețu, Houri, Stevanovic and Mogoș were sent into battle by Coelho in the second half. Also, Săndoi, a former defender with 30 matches for the national team, also blamed bad luck for the elimination from the Conference League.
Craiova missed qualification by one goal, being overtaken by Sigma Olomuc, who had the same score, the same goal difference, but scored one more goal.
Emil Săndoi: “How to make a decisive attack? It takes your face and you try to hit. Well, what could she do? I can't explain mistakes like that”
“Unbelievable! It seems like the whole situation is so unfavorable, and the other results. KuPS, in 10 men, draw with Crystal Palace. I don't know what happened in the last 10 minutes, but it's like we screwed everything up.
Except for the bad luck of the other results, it's like we did it ourselves. The players who entered during the course did not come with pluses, they entered with minuses. And at the 2nd goal there is an area that he has to cover, it's a cross from the opposite side. You automatically go down in the mark. that player came alone 6 meters and headed the goal.
At the penalty, you don't make a decisive attack there. How to attack decisively? He takes your face and you try to hit. Well, how could he do that? I don't explain mistakes like that. Some of the players who came in along the way. When you come in, you have to have a lot more responsibility at this level. See what it means, I punish you immediately. I can't explain myself here.
Maybe I can explain it to myself, but being a coach I can't say much. Sorry, there were chances on both sides. Speaking of the last minute gift. I was looking at 2-0 to us, it was a cross from the side, it was Assad who cut short really well and shot on goal and Vida blocked a goal as he did.
That one knows how to block a goal like it was done, and we give them a penalty as a gift. Too bad, it was a huge chance that we kicked. I don't even know what to say in this tension, I haven't accounted for the arbitration”, said Emil Săndoi, at GSP Live Special.
Emil Sandoi / Photo: Imago Images
Conference League standings
