Miller: "I would have preferred it to end 5:0. There are no easy games"

Maccabi Tel Aviv completed the task this evening (Thursday) with a 1:0 victory over Sheriff Tiraspol in the second leg. Kenny Miller's squad arrived calm thanks to the 5:0 thrashing in the first leg, secured the ticket to the third qualifying round of the Europa League, and will meet CSKA Sofia.

Miller summarized the victory: "I would have preferred it to end 5:0, that's for sure. We knew it would be an evening where we would need to see how Sheriff would arrive and what their approach would be, but for our part, we focused a lot on energy and mentality. We wanted to approach this game with the right attitude even though we were leading by five goals from the first game. We wanted to win the game and we did it."

Later, Miller addressed his players' performance and the fact that the dominance did not translate into more goals: "We could have won with more goals if we had shown a little more quality in the final third. There is some frustration that we didn't score more and that we weren't better, but we won and advanced. When you look at this competition, there aren't many teams that win 6:0 on aggregate. There are no easy games in Europe and you have to be satisfied with the final result."

The coach also emphasized the importance of gaining playing minutes at this stage of the season: "These are more minutes for the players on the way to full match fitness. We were able to make some changes thanks to the result from last week and we kept a clean sheet again, and we are always happy about that. If you don't concede, you will win games. To be the team we want to be throughout a whole season, we must approach every game correctly, bring the energy, and dictate our pace. We did that at times tonight."

Miller added that he is satisfied with the team's start to the season and the tools the squad is presenting: "We learned a lot in the first three games of the season. These were three very positive results and it was important to start like this. We showed that we have other ways to play and attack beyond what we did last season. We are building momentum and are in a good place ahead of next week. We will be ready."

Finally, the coach praised the fans who accompanied the team to Georgia: "It was important to get to know the stadium and the grass that will be our home in the near future, but the fans who came... you can't talk about them enough. They made this journey and made the game feel different with the energy, noise, and singing from the first whistle to the last. I, the staff, and the players never take it for granted. This support gives us a lot of energy and extra desire to achieve the result. I thank them very much and am happy that they are returning home with a victory."

Raz Shlomo, who was part of the defensive effort that kept a clean sheet, summarized the feelings: "It was very important for us to approach this game with the right attitude despite the result from the first game. We wanted to win, continue our positive momentum from the beginning of the season, and maintain maximum concentration. I am happy that we did it and kept a clean sheet again, it is an element that gives us a lot of confidence as a team for the road ahead."

Regarding the atmosphere in the stadium and the support from the stands, the defender added: "Our fans are simply amazing, it is not taken for granted that they came all the way here in these quantities to push us. We felt their energy and the noise every minute on the pitch, from the first whistle to the last. They give us a lot of strength and we are happy that they are returning home with this victory and qualification to the next stage."

Finally, Shlomo addressed the team's future tasks: "We feel the improvement from game to game and are building something good here. Now we need to stay humble, continue to work hard in training, and prepare in the best way possible for the next game that awaits us already next week. The goal is to continue with this ability and be ready for any challenge."