Simon Mignolet: “This is a great result”
Club Brugge in the Champions League has been quite something this year. Just like in the previous fixtures, Club rose above themselves with a solid 2-1 win as a result. Simon Mignolet is a happy man.
"This victory is a great result", the glovesman said after the game. "I think we played a solid game, eventhough we could have made it ourselves a bit easier if we hadn't conceded that goal, but we still have a return game. I think everyone could see Atalanta is a very good side, but we played well tonight. We didn't give away too many chances except for the last twenty minutes of the game. This evening we have proven ourselves again on the highest level. I think we can say that we were at least as good as Atalanta. The fixtures we lost during this campaign were mostly because of small mistakes from our part and we avoided them tonight because we were concentrated the entire game, except for one moment when Atalanta managed to equalize. That shows the quality of our opponents tonight. I didn't have too much to do, but you know that a chance can come very quickly in games like these. This 2-1 win means Atalanta will have to overturn the result next week, but that won't make it any easier for us. For now we can be proud of this night's performance."
Nicky Hayen: “This was a great performance”
Club Brugge played an excellent game and grabbed a massive 2-1 win against Atalanta Bergamo. Coach Nicky Hayen was proud of his team's performance. "This was a great performance with good football, high intensity and pressure on the ball so we could take advantage of small mistakes by Atalanta. Too bad for the goal we conceded, because that was avoidable. We played our second half like we had started our first, but it was a bit harder because Atalanta started to put pressure higher op the pitch. All in all I think this is a deserved win. I am proud of our performance, because Atalanta is a very good team. They are ahead of teams like Juventus and AC Milan in the Serie A, that says it all."
Next week Blauw-Zwart travels to Bergamo with a one-goal advantage in the bag. "We will need to play the return game in the same manner. If you start the game defensively, than you will get in trouble for sure. But first we have STVV on Saturday, so the games follow each other in quick succession. We don't have time to enjoy these moments, but this win sure boosts our confidence. I think that late penalty will guarantuee a warm welcome."
The coach had words of praise for Chemsdine Talbi, who played a great game and was voted Man of the Match. “Chems is going through a very nice evolution. Initially he made a difference as a substitute and was able to score a few goals, but lately he has been getting his chance as a starter and he is taking his chance with both hands. He is technically skilled and has a lot of pace. Moreover, there is a good interaction with Seys, as they know each other well from their time at Club NXT. Hopefully he can continue growing as a player.”
Chemsdine Talbi: "With confidence to Bergamo."
"This is one of my best matches. To do this in this kind of match is fantastic, I am extremely happy with my trophy of Man of the Match. The coach expected us to have this space behind the defense, and we took full advantage of it. We did our job very well, resulting in a nice victory. We can go into the return match with confidence, we really have a chance to go through."
Hans Vanaken: "A deserved win."
We were all over the pitch tonight and that was necessary to get something out of this fixture. Keeping the ball, linking well, carving out chances, it was all in our game. Before the break we could have seized our moments even better, then the score could have gone up. We had some luck with the penalty at the end, but it's a deserved victory. That's what's important here. It's more pleasant to go to Bergamo with a lead, we saw today that next week there will also be space and we will have chances. I hope I get to be part of the new coach's selection, but my main focus is to get back to my level every game.
Brandon Mechele: “This is a deserved victory in my book”
Just like his goalkeeper, central defender Brandon Mechele adressed the press with a big smile. "I think it is well deserved. We played well, we did create a number of chances, the pressure was good, the football was good, in short, this is a very successful European evening. We are now in the knockout phase and it is the second time we have made it this far. Last time it was Benfica who were our opponents and I think that was a bit more difficult. On the other hand, now we have a bit more experience and we handled it very well tonight, we also dare more. As a team you grow in campaigns like these and you saw that tonight. We were able to completely dominate Atalanta at times. Kudos for the team and for the coaching staff, who prepared us well for this fixture. We also felt the fans tonight who pushed to do better the entire match. About the goal we concede, yes that was avoidable but that happens. Luckily that late penalty allowed us to make it 2-1. I can't tell you if it was the right call because I was too far away, but this is a deserved victory in my book. I can tell you that we will be going to Italy with confidence. If we play like tonight, anything is possible."