Italiano emphasizes team spirit after Hradec Kralove win: The boys put their heart into it

Beşiktaş gained an advantage ahead of the second leg by defeating Czech side Hradec Kralove 1-0 away in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. The Black and Whites managed to maintain their lead despite being reduced to 10 men.

Speaking after the match, Beşiktaş manager Vincenzo Italiano stated that no match in European competitions is easy and expressed his satisfaction with the effort shown by the team.

We saw it today, as I always say, there are never, ever easy matches in Europe. Today's match was truly very difficult. We were down to 10 men. All the boys put their heart into it. We managed to become a team, and I am very happy about that.

Italiano stated that they should not become complacent before the second leg, adding that the team needs to play with higher intensity and be more clinical in attack. The Italian manager emphasized that the desire, especially in the second half, had increased significantly.

Explaining his tactical intervention, Italiano said he made a forward substitution to prevent the team from sitting back, and that they found the goal following this choice. The experienced coach noted that he saw a reaction in this period similar to the second-half performance in the Midtjylland match.

Pointing out that Beşiktaş has not conceded a goal in their last three matches, Italiano stated that defensive security is important for the team. “When you concede a goal, you become more fragile,” the manager said, adding that the tie is not over yet and they must prepare seriously for the return leg.

Italiano also made a special mention of the contribution from the bench. Noting that it is valuable for the team's mentality that Milot scored after coming on in the last match and Semih did the same in this encounter, the manager remarked that the squad, which has been working together for about a month, is establishing its foundation and can continue to improve.

News Source: 12punto