Europa League

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Europa League | Playoff Round

Aug 20, 2015 at 8pm UK

Southampton
1-1
Midtjylland FC Midtjylland

Rodriguez (56' pen.)

FT(HT: 0-1)

Sparv (45')

Southampton boss Ronald Koeman unhappy with FC Midtjylland tactics

By Paul Gorst, Reporter | 20 August 2015

Ronald Koeman reveals his unhappiness with perceived time wasting from FC Midtjylland as Southampton are held to a 1-1 draw in a Europa League qualifier.

Southampton boss Ronald Koeman was left frustrated with FC Midtjylland's time wasting as his side played out a 1-1 draw in a Europa League qualifier on Thursday.

Jay Rodriguez's penalty cancelled out Tim Sparv's first-half effort at St Mary's, and Koeman accepted that his side head into the second leg in Denmark as underdogs but was unhappy with what he viewed as blatant gamesmanship from the Danes.

"I think we played in the first half too slowly was difficult because they drop back. In the last minute he gave a player a yellow but they [were time wasting] since early," he told BT Sport.

"We needed to be direct and aggressive and sometimes you can't always build from the back. It is not a good result. We had five or six chances. In my opinion, Stephen Caulker's goal is a normal goal, a legal goal. It is a pity, but the second half was much better than the first.

"We're not favourites because they had a very good result. We're still in this competition and we have to fight. We have to learn because they are spending time [wasting] from the first minute. We need help from the referee. We have to learn from tonight."

Southampton return to domestic action when they travel to newly-promoted Watford this weekend.