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Favre: 'We did well defensively'

Lucien Favre spoke in the post-match press conference about the victory in the Czech Republic this Thursday, during matchday 3 of the Conference League (0-1). He also attributed the victory to the team''s defensive solidity.

Lucien, the win is the most important thing, but there was also some difficulty in closing out the game and not having to suffer in injury time.

We were relatively good for 75 minutes and then the end was very tough. They tried everything, it was 1-0 to us. They played long balls, from which they are dangerous, on second balls. I'm not surprised that we suffered a little bit, because this team could have won in Cologne. They lost 4-2, but they came back to 2-2, they had a huge opportunity to make it 3-2, one on one with the keeper. Then they concede a penalty which is difficult to accept. It's proof that all games are difficult, we know that.

Defensively, on the other hand, it was a clean sheet, with Bulka providing reassurance in the most difficult moments.

We did well defensively. That was also the objective, because it's important to defend and to defend well. We did it well. They had a chance at the end. But other than that, they didn't have many clear-cut chances.

From an attacking point of view, what would you have liked to see from your strikers in the first half, more link-up play, more shots, more impact?

Many, many things. That's it, penetration. Penetration is important. But we play with two number 10s on the flanks when we play in a 4-4-2, who are not really wingers. We try to create chances differently. They have to get in between the lines, inside and so on. And then sometimes they get the ball deep, I think that was pretty good. It's clear, you need to have penetration and speed.

You also hit the post...

We hit the post and the crossbar. A post and a crossbar are already two good opportunities. If they are in, it's a goal. There's no argument, it's a goal twice, so it could have been 3-0. I repeat: they are a very dangerous team. Not everyone knows that, so they are underestimated. They are very athletic, they run a lot. They’re dangerous from second balls, they have a lot of presence. And they're dangerous especially from crosses. They cross a lot away from goal and they’re dangerous from them. I think we controlled that well, it was an important part of the result.