The head coach of the Latvian men's national football team, Paolo Nicolato, after two years in office and maintaining a place in the third tier of the UEFA Nations League, admitted that he feels empty, LETA reports.
It has already been reported that on Tuesday, in the second of two playoff matches, Latvia defeated Gibraltar at home with a score of 1:0 and won 2:0 on aggregate, maintaining its place in the third tier of the UEFA Nations League - League C.
"When I took on this challenge two years ago, I led a team that had few victories. It was a huge challenge. After these two years, I am very happy. I am not talking specifically about this game, but about the journey as a whole, because we tried to change a lot. Right now I feel empty - everything has been given for the sake of a better future," said Nicolato after the match, as reported by the Latvian Football Federation.
The coach noted that the first half, which ended 0:0, was not played well.
"The players found it difficult because our footballers do not have much experience in such matches. It is hard to play against such opponents, and this is also a matter of experience. In the end, we are satisfied. Thank you to my assistants and the federation for their trust. This result was deserved and very important for us," he said.
"In my career, I have been successful and achieved a lot. But this job is special for me because we have been trying to change really everything around and within the team. Thank you to the players! We are trying to show more interesting, more attractive football. It takes time," he added.
In the upcoming group stage of the Nations League in League C, the Latvian national team will face Montenegro, Armenia, and Cyprus.
