Sturm Graz Manager Ingolitsch: We couldn't withstand Fenerbahçe's strong players

Sturm Graz manager Fabio Ingolitsch shared his thoughts after his team's 2-0 away defeat to Fenerbahçe in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.

Speaking at the press conference at Chobani Stadium, Ingolitsch pointed out the difficulty of playing away at Fenerbahçe and noted that the individual quality of the yellow-navy team influenced the score.

It was not easy to play here against a strong team like Fenerbahçe. Fenerbahçe knew how to get the result with their strong players. We fell behind in the first half. We planned to change that in the second half, but it didn't go as we planned. Fenerbahçe's strong players did not give us the opportunity. We couldn't show the game we wanted on the pitch and unfortunately, we lost.

The Austrian manager stated that they want to push their chances of advancing to the end by using their home-field and crowd advantage in the return leg. Ingolitsch expressed that they aim to finish the first half of the second match in the lead and then find a second goal to turn the tie in their favor.

Touching on Talisca's performance for Fenerbahçe, Ingolitsch emphasized that the Brazilian player is difficult to defend against.

It is not easy to stop Talisca. He is an effective player; even though we took precautions, disrupting his concentration is effective to a degree in stopping him. At the end of the game, he shows his quality and his skill. It is difficult to stop such a player, not just for us, but for all teams.

While Fenerbahçe gained an advantage ahead of the return leg with their 2-0 victory in the first match, Sturm Graz will try to carry their hopes of advancing to the match on their own home turf.