Maresca: We Conceded Naive Goals, and the Difference Was Clear

Chelsea's coach Enzo Maresca made statements to the press following the 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the fourth round of the Champions League group stage, held at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium.

The coach said: "I believe the biggest difference was inside the penalty area. Once again, we conceded naive goals that we could have avoided, and we could have finished many of the chances we created better. We earned one point, and now we need to prepare for Saturday's match."

He added, "When we conceded the first goal, the opponent was playing with ten players, which is unacceptable. Then came the penalty goal, making the second half more difficult because we were trailing 2-1 and needed to score. The difference was clear in both penalty areas."

He continued: "In the second half, we performed well. Yes, we faced some counterattacks, which is normal since we were looking for the equalizer. However, we need to defend better inside the box and attack more effectively in the opponent's area."

Regarding the penalty decision for the handball on Hato, he said: "I think the decision is clear... it's a handball. It looks that way clearly."

As for the impact of the substitutions: "Some changes were planned in advance, while others were made to alter the flow of the match. I think Garnacho was good, Enzo was good, and so was William."

Regarding Lavia's injury, he concluded by saying: "Nothing new so far, we will see in the coming hours."