Vincenzo Montella: I am happy to have finished the match in the first half

In the 4th match of Group E of the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers, the A National Football Team defeated Georgia 4-1. Head Coach Vincenzo Montella made statements at the press conference after the match. Stating that they deserved the victory, Montella said, "I want to thank my players for their good performance in both matches and for reflecting their ambition on the pitch by scoring extra goals. Such a victory made me extra happy. They fought tremendously from the beginning to the end of the match. You know the first half especially. We prepared in the best way against a tough opponent and got the result we wanted. Our players reflected their ambition on the pitch from the first minute. We will prepare for the next match in the best way possible. It seems we are 1 point away mathematically. We want to proceed step by step by doing our best," he said.

Regarding the goals from set-pieces, Vincenzo Montella said, "We always work on set-pieces. In fact, our coach Hakan Balta does this task intensively in the best way, and the other technical staff do incredibly beautiful work. Our players also work selflessly. That is why I am very happy that we are getting results. When you have talented feet and players who can head the ball in the best way, these kinds of tables can emerge. That is why we are also pleased. Sometimes you can solve matches with set-pieces. That is why set-pieces are in our training," he said.

"OUR DREAM IS TO GO TO THE WORLD CUP"

Touching on the criticisms he received after taking office and the World Cup goal, Montella said, "I know that criticism is part of our job. The most important thing is not to be affected by them. I am not affected. I try to do what is best for our team. There were criticisms because we played without a forward, but everyone saw how ultra-offensive a team we are with this match and the last match. We are even playing a very offensive game. We can concede goals, but we score a lot because we play offensively. This evening, being able to finish the match in the first half against a tough opponent made me very happy. Their diligence pleases me very much. We have a dream; to go to the World Cup. We want to make our nation experience this as well. That is why we are ready to do whatever it takes," he stated.

"THERE WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT MATCHES"

Answering the question about his statistics as the coach with the most wins, Head Coach Vincenzo Montella said, "We are about to reach the play-offs. There is 1 point left, but in football, as long as you do not complete the mathematics, we cannot find any expression. We want to collect the most points in the next matches. The statistics are very nice, but I do not like to keep them as memories. Imagine that we have gone to the World Cup. I would love to experience that memory. There will be very important matches in the play-offs. We must continue step by step in the best way," he said.

"WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE GROUP"

Explaining how he provided motivation in the reaction shown after the Spain match, the Italian coach said, "We really have an incredible group. We say it every time; there is a family atmosphere. Such reactions can come out of this togetherness. Because we have a very strong group. We knew we had to recover after that defeat. Our players worked incredibly hard. This makes me very proud. All units in the Federation also make me proud," he said.

"I WISH KEREM COULD HAVE SCORED TOO"

Evaluating the atmosphere at Kocaeli Stadium, the fact that the Kocaeli-born player Merih scored 2 goals, and that the city's license plate number was written on the scoreboard, Montella said, "There was an incredible crowd, an incredible atmosphere. We felt them behind us until the end. Being with such a crowd of fans on such beautiful nights makes one very happy. The fact that the fans embrace the victory and the work we do makes us proud. There were very beautiful coincidences. Everything was there for us to win. We are happy that Merih scored 2 goals, I wish Kerem could have scored too. After being showered with such love, one wants to come back again. It made us very happy and added a lot of strength," he said.

Commenting on them finding 10 goals in two matches after the Spain defeat and stating that he feels lucky to work with world-class players, Vincenzo Montella said, "We said we would work on our mistakes. We focused on the issues we needed to improve. They worked selflessly and showed their best in 2 matches. Our secret is to work a lot and believe in what we do while working, no matter what. We can also say that we are very lucky to have such a group of players. I will not evaluate them only as players. We were very happy every time we established this environment. Because there is an incredible togetherness. We will not let anyone harm this togetherness. These players deserve the best of everything," he said.

"I DO NOT FEEL LIKE A FOREIGNER"

After it was mentioned that he acts like a Turkish coach, Montella shared his views on this subject as follows:

"Because I am in this country and feel very close, I do not feel like a foreigner here in any way. I grew up in a small town outside of Naples. I grew up with the same mentality and culture. I do not feel like a foreigner. We have a group that works hard and carries out their duties. We are very satisfied. Our players work very selflessly. I experienced another happiness this evening; we worked on the first goal in training, and our players showed their belief in that goal. When I see the successes from within, I am truly pleased and feel like I am from here."