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U17 EURO | HEAD COACH ALEKSANDAR LUKOVIC AND THE YOUTH TEAMS DIRECTOR NIKOLA LAZETIC AFTER THE MATCH AGAINST POLAND

29.05.2023.

The U17 National Team of Serbia made an excellent impression at the UEFA U17 European Championship in Hungary, and after the match against Poland and the unfortunate defeat in the last minutes of the match, the Head Coach Aleksandar Luković and Nikola Lazetić, the Director of Youth Teams of the FA of Serbia spoke for the FA of Serbia web-site.

“I would like to praise the boys for everything they have done, not only in this tournament, but in the last two years since we formed this team.” Placing among the top eight in Europe is a huge success in itself. We wanted more than that, we gave our best, but we didn’t succeed. We conceded a goal in the 90th minute, I congratulate Poland on reaching the semi-finals. I have absolutely no objection my players. On the contrary, I want to encourage them, they are just at the beginning and the experience from Hungary will be very important to them in the further course of their career. It is understandable that they are sad, they lived a common dream, and it is not easy to lose a match in the last moments. I am proud of this group of guys, it is important that they raise their heads as soon as possible and understand that defeats in sports are not a tragedy,” said Aleksandar Luković.

Nikola Lazetić also had words of praise for a generation that promises a lot…

“It is too early for a deeper analysis.” I just want to underline some facts. We are the only team at this tournament that had eight players from 2007. All of them have the right to perform at the next U17 European Championship, which means that the important part of our team will be guys who already have experience playing in a big competition. That is a big plus for Serbian football. They played all three games at a high pace, showed character after a shocking defeat at the start of the championship against Slovenia and in duels against Superpower Teams such as Italy and Spain proved that they have enormous potential. Serbia has talented players in every generation and is not afraid of any opponent. It’s a pity for losing in the 90th minute. Before that there were some details that I don’t want to comment on, everyone saw the way the penalty was awarded to Poland. The team did not lose heart, twice we came back from a deficit, missed three hundred percent chances, hit the post. What to do at the moment, let’s move on. Now the most important thing is for the boys to have a good rest and to prepare for the next cycle of qualifications that starts in September already. In addition to the fact that we want to create a continuity of participation in the final tournaments, the essential priority is still to create players for the A National Team. I would like to thank once again to all our people who were in Hungary in the last few days and gave us great support.