‘KNUCKLE BALL FOOLED ME,’ DE VRIES

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The Hoops’ one-goal advantage from the first leg in Glasgow last week had already been wiped out in the eighth minute when the unmarked Branislav Ivanovic jeaded in a right-wing corner-kick in the eighth minute.

In the 27th minute, De Vries lost the flight of Daler Kuzyaev’s long-range effort to allow Roberto Mancin’s side to take the lead in the tie and was rooted to his line when Aleksandr Kokorin netted the third just after the hour mark.

The veteran Dutch keeper, who lost seven goals in Barcelona last season, said: “‘I have seen it back and it is called a knuckle ball.

“There is no spin on the ball and a couple of those guys have the ability to do that.

“It moves to my right which is why I am stepping to my right, but it doesn’t keep on the original path, a couple of yards before that it shifts to the left and those are so difficult for a goalkeeper to adjust to.

“Unfortunately, it happened last night which is really disappointing because you are hoping you can get a full hand on it.

“If the knuckle ball stays in the direction you are moving you can adjust, but once it goes the opposite way there is almost no chance.

“It was disappointing. We gave ourselves a good chance to progress in the first leg and in the end we didn’t.”

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