FC Viktoria Plzeň defeated Real Sociedad 2:1 and gained three valuable points in the European table. Read Marek Bakoš´s assessment of the match.
Mark, huge congratulations. This is the first time you´ve been in a press conference in a place like this. Can you imagine a better debut?
It´s true, it´s my first time at a press conference like this after a European Cup match. I´m glad. The whole evening was positive and it culminated in a victory over a big opponent. So I have nothing but good feelings about it.
What was the road to this victory?
We had a clear plan. The whole situation was a little bit specific. The head coach couldn´t be on the bench, but basically nothing changed. The preparation for the whole game was the usual way and it reflects in the result. The guys were confident on the field, so hats off to them.
How would you assess today´s performance?
The game didn´t go completely our way, but the tactical guidelines that were chosen for this game worked well for us. We wanted to be strong at the back and dangerous going forward and I think we did that especially in the first half. The first goal we scored was very important for us. It made us more confident and got us into the game.
What did you think of the first goal that Prince Adu scored?
As soon as we got within 30 yards of the opponent´s goal, we were dangerous. We had situations where we felt Real Sociedad were not completely solid in defence. This action confirmed it, because it was the first time we got into the opponent´s sixteen and it ended immediately with a goal. As for Prince, it´s good that he´s scoring goals. We were very surprised by his adaptation. He can follow our instructions and help the team, so hats off to him.
The coach announced yesterday that two wins would be needed to advance.
It´s the first season under the new format, so we´ll see how many points we realistically need. We managed to beat a tough opponent today, but we are currently focusing on Sunday´s game, which will also be very tough. It´s not good to look too far ahead. Our goal will be to get more points and focus on the next games.