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Jablonec striker Lamin Jawo has disclosed that playing against Super Eagles defender Emmanuel Fernandez was not that difficult, noting their physical duel was a 50/50 battle.
The remarks followed Jablonec’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Rangers in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League playoff on Thursday.
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Jawo acknowledged Fernandez is a strong player with quality but felt it was no bigger challenge than facing top defenders in the Czech First League.
“I know Fernandez is a strong and good player who has quality,” the Jablonec striker said in quotes revealed by the Herald.
“But I have played against the strongest defenders in the Czech Republic, so this was not that big of a difference for me.
“I think it was 50/50 with him. It was not that difficult and maybe I won more aerial duels than him.”
“I can say that we are a little disappointed because we expected to get at least a draw. But I think we played a good game; we were very organised,” the Gambian continued.
“We knew that Rangers are not just any team. We played a good game in Glasgow and we believe that we can do it at home. We feel that we still have a chance.
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“I know that if I play well, keep the ball and help the team, we can play more attacking football. For me, the most important thing now is the team performance.
“Absolutely. I believe we can do it at home. We have everything to play for. We are strong at home. We know that Rangers are a very good side, but we are also stronger at home.
“We have to keep our heads up and fix it at home. Next week will be important for us and we’ll just focus on the rematch with Rangers.”
