Manager John Toshack called the Luxembourg defeat embarrassing, and was very disappointed with the lack of discipline exemplified by several of the players.

After the game in which Macedonia suffered a 2:1 loss against Luxembourg, manager John Toshack was not happy.  Speaking to FFM’s official website, Toshack stated, “I’m very disappointed with what happened in the match against Luxembourg.  We suffered a loss by conceding a goal in the dying moments of the game, a loss that is embarrassing for me and not expected.  What particularly worries me is that no discipline exists with several of the players.  The second goal that we conceded came on a huge mistake that took place because of the lack of discipline.  After our corner, we allowed the opponent to execute an easy counter attack, three on one, and score the second goal which proved to be the game winner.”

Toshack also criticized the effort as he could not recognize some of the players with the mistakes they were making during the game.  Toshack stated it felt like 5-6 players going up against 11 hungry and determined Luxembourg players.

The Macedonian manager went on to add, “In the 1st half, we played well and had a lead.  At the beginning of the 2nd half, I replaced Demiri, Todorovski, and Grncarov and gave the other players a chance (everyone played except Dimitrovski) but the changes did not go well.  We started four attacking minded players but the finishing was not good enough.  We had two 100% chances near the end through Pandev and Despotovski but they could not convert those big opportunities.”

In concluding, Toshack said, “I am particularly disappointed with the irresponsibility and undiscipline near the end of the match when several of the players acted childish, and from our ball, our corner, to allow the opponent to execute a quick counterattack to punish us in the last seconds of the match.”