CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Pineda: “Being so close to a place in the UCL group stage is exciting”
The Mexican striker spoke with AEK Athens boss Matías Almeyda ahead of the Champions League playoff game against Antwerp.
After defeating Dinamo Zagreb in dramatic fashion in Saturday’s Champions League group stage third round, the Greek champions AEK Athens with Mexicans Orbelin Pineda and Rodolfo Pizarro in their ranks are just one step away from a place in the group stage.
AEK travel to Belgium and face Royal Antwerp with the return leg scheduled for 30 August in the Greek capital.
Ahead of the game coach Almeyda and the Mexican striker Pineda spoke to the media as they analysed the match.
“Now that we are here living this reality, it’s exciting, it’s beautiful. We know that every player is excited and wants more. This will help us to push forward and to be as ready as possible to qualify for the Champions League,” said Pineda at the press conference.
“We made a great effort to get here, we are happy to have entered the Europa League, but our objective is different, it is to get through this tie. When I arrived in Greece I only thought about staying and that God would give me the strength to be a champion, I wanted to be champion, I visualised it throughout the year and playing in the Champions League competition is the consequence of having won,” concluded the Mexican.