"They're not better than us!" – Undav confident Stuttgart can turn things around against Porto
| Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images |
VfB Stuttgart suffered a disappointing 1-2 home defeat to FC Porto in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie on Thursday.
Despite the setback, Stuttgart forward Deniz Undav remains confident his side can turn the tie around in Portugal next week.
"The chance is definitely still there because they are not better than us. We just have to hold our ground, be nasty – even dirty if needed," Undav said in a post-match interview with RTL.
The German international vented his frustration over how Porto secured the win after taking the lead.
“They tried to waste time with every ball, letting it drop,” he said.
“They tried to waste time with every ball, letting it drop. I think the left-back went down 37 times for the same thing. That the referee barely intervened is a joke – especially since we told him about it a hundred times,” Undav added, citing “individual mistakes” as the main reason Stuttgart came up short.
Stuttgart now must turn their focus to Sunday’s Bundesliga clash with RB Leipzig before preparing for Thursday’s crucial return leg in Portugal.
