Rafael Urazbakhtin, who led Kairat into the EChL group stage, expressed his views after the highly important match against Celtic. The coach specifically emphasized the team’s inner spirit, the step-by-step plan that was built, and the courage in achieving the results.
“Our goal was the championship, winning the cup, and reaching the group stage of the Champions League. We accomplished one task. However, we did not think that this would be an EChL ticket. I spoke to the guys about what they had done. They showed real courage. Now I do not know what tasks will be set before us. I do not like to make predictions. We will move step by step along the path of our goals. I still do not believe that we have set course for the EChL group stage,” said Rafael Urazbakhtin.
According to him, from the very start of the season the team clearly aimed at the “league — cup — Europe” triad, and today’s result has become an important marker of this road map. From Urazbakhtin’s words it is understood that Kairat’s players, withstanding the pressure and showing character in decisive episodes, became one of the main factors of the victory. At the same time, he did not hide that he is an advocate of “implementing the next stages step by step rather than making frequent predictions.”
In short, on the historic night against Celtic, along with the victory the team’s self-confidence also increased. Now the focus is on the group stage: the schedule, logistics, rotation, and every small detail, as Urazbakhtin puts it, will be resolved on the basis of a “gradual” plan. The coach’s sincere “I still don’t believe it” once again reminded of the sweetness of the win and lifted the fans’ mood.
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