It is an Antoine Kombouaré in the angels who analyzed in front of the media the draw won Thursday evening by FC Nantes on the ground of Juventus Turin (1-1), in the first leg of the Europa League.
Nantes is only 90 minutes away from a huge feat. Last night, the FCN got an excellent draw on the lawn of Juventus Turin (1-1), during the first leg of the Europa League play-offs. Led on a goal by Dusan Vlahovic (13th), the Canaries of Antoine Kombouaré picked up in the second half thanks to Ludovic Blas (60th) and began to dream of a qualification at the expense of the Old Lady of Massimiliano Allegri, announced as the big favorite of this double confrontation against the last winner of the Coupe de France, the second round at La Beaujoire being scheduled next Thursday.
“There is a lot of pride”
At a press conference, the Nantes technician paid a fine tribute to his men. “A big congratulations to my players who were heroic, solid. We had a great team with great players. We knew it was going to grow, that we were going to suffer. We united and we were able to play, to hold the ball. Even if in the first half, we lacked accuracy and presence in the opposing area. We let the horses go a little more in the second half. We no longer had to take a goal and try to score, which the players were able to do. There is a lot of pride.”
The Kanak salutes the reaction of his group after a difficult start. “When you concede a goal early in the game, the idea was to defend even better and score. The players applied it wonderfully. You had to score a goal to keep hope alive. We have the strength to try to do something great. The hardest part is finishing the job.” While being very humble before returning home: “If you want a big feat, you need two big matches. The hardest part will be finishing the job on Thursday. I expect a resurrected, upset Juventus team. We expect to suffer.”