Kiril Lazarov could not have imagined a better debut on the bench of the Macedonian national team. As a coach-player, he created a great victory for his team over the toughest possible opponent – Olympic and two-time consecutive world champion Denmark.
The icon of Macedonian sports made a big reset, primarily in the minds of the players after a bad performance at the World Cup in Egypt, which resulted in a sensational triumph over the big favorite in Skopje.
– First and foremost, I thank my players, in this case my teammates. We complied with what we agreed. I am also grateful to the professional staff who accompanied me and helped me. Although this is a new challenge for me, I have felt positive energy in the team in the last few days. We were motivated, I was ready to play poorly and lose, it was important for me to show on the field what we agreed on. We managed to respect that, and it ended the way it ended.
– I had the courage to start the game with the 96-98 generation, I have confidence in them. Of those players, many are contested, they may need a little more time to get started, but they know how to play handball, I’m sure of it. I have been an „attacker“ throughout my career, but these days I have insisted on defense. It was a little funny for them that an attacker like me insists on defense. However, I have been fighting against good defenses all my life, and I know what that means.
– I am happy and proud of the whole of Macedonia, because all the people went through good and bad moments together with us. But I stay firmly on the ground, because I know we still have a lot of work to do. I thank the Macedonian public, from which I received 99% support. This is just the beginning, I know what sport is and I know the Macedonian mentality well. The most important thing is to officially qualify for the European Championship, and we will think about the future later – said Kiril Lazarov after the match.
