Hughes: Performance a mystery

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It was a disastrous 90 seconds in the first half against the Greek Cup winners that led to their shock 2-0 first-round, first-leg loss at the Panthessaliko Stadium in Volos.

Hughes said: "We are disappointed with the level of performance and product, and we are a better team than that. I'm sure at the weekend (at home to Portsmouth on Sunday) our performance will be a lot better, but this is a mystery to us."

He added: "It was not a performance we were expecting, in particular after our excellent run of 15 games unbeaten.

"Up until now we have shown great quality and great energy, but they were missing."

Hughes knows his side now face a mountainous task to reach the group stages, but then the flipside is that this result could have been so much worse.

"We have made it very difficult for ourselves," conceded Hughes.

"The one positive that we have is the defeat could have been greater, so at 2-0 we are still very much in the tie and it will be a different Blackburn at Ewood Park.

"We had too many players that didn't hit their levels, but that will change."