Rubin Kazan 1-0 Wigan Athletic | Europa League Group D match report
Owen Coyle was keen to give credit to his players after seeing them lose a Europa League match from which he felt they deserved at least a point.
Rubin Kazan's winner came when Oleg Kuzmin latched on to a lofted ball into the area and cracked it home, giving the 21-year-old goalkeeper Lee Nicholls virtually no chance.
The rest of the first half was relatively subdued but Wigan, whose starting side featured six changes from their previous match, showed plenty of endeavour after the break and came close to equalising, with Thomas Rogne heading against the bar and James McClean's touch diverting the ball just wide.
Reflecting on the first defeat of Wigan's maiden European campaign, Coyle said: "I was a little bit annoyed in that from our point of view it was a soft goal to lose but in the second half we dominated a very good side.
"We certainly shouldn't be leaving here on the end of a 1-0 scoreline. We have hit the woodwork and had numerous chances in the second half. I think this was an outstanding performance. We looked like a very mature European team and I was delighted. My only disappointment is to leave with no points because we certainly deserved to take something from the game."
Around 150 Wigan fans had made the journey to Russia to see the Championship side take on the Group D leaders, with whom they had drawn 1-1 at the DW Stadium in their last European outing.
"I felt the players were a credit to the football club," Coyle said. "The fans travelled here to Kazan, who have made everyone feel very welcome, and I felt the players certainly showed application and a lot of quality at times as well on a difficult pitch. "We are disappointed, but not with the performance – only in terms that we have taken no points and have lost our unbeaten record in European football