Carcedo backs Saus after Spartak's win over Rodina

Spartak beat Rodina 3-1 in the third round of the Fonbet Cup group stage, with defender Vladislav Saus coming off the bench in the 80th minute. It was only his second appearance of the season; his other outing came as a substitute in the RPL fixture against Baltika, which Spartak won 2-1.

Coach Juan Carcedo was asked what he could offer Saus given his limited playing time.

Carcedo said.

Rodina led at half-time on expected goals despite the score being level, but conceded early in the second half and could not find a way back. Coach Juan Diaz gave his reading of the collapse.

Diaz said.

Carcedo had credited Rodina with deserving more from the first half. Diaz picked up on the remark.

Diaz said. He added that a sideline exchange with Spartak's Santiago Solari during the match had been a misunderstanding:

Diaz also pointed to a disputed offside in the build-up to Spartak's third goal, and drew a parallel with Rodina's league game against Dinamo, where an opponent's equaliser had likewise unsettled his side. Maksimenko, he noted, is a winger by trade and was Rodina's top scorer in that position during their promotion campaign, which is why he is expected to help out at full-back when defending.

For Spartak, Carcedo pointed to the second half as the difference. he said.