“The result is painful, probably more than the performance. But it’s the Champions League, it’s the highest level, and today it wasn’t enough for us,” noted Bayer Leverkusen coach Xavi Alonso after the match. “In this competition,” he continued, “you also have to be decisive on both surfaces, and that’s probably where we lacked a little power, a little consistency. Regardless, we accept defeat, we congratulate Liverpool and we move on.”
Liverpool scored all four of their goals in the second half. “I don’t know if it’s due to the intensity, but we took more risks,” in addition to being “a little better in using the ball,” said Reds coach Arne Slot on the change in the face of his players after the break.
Bologna – Monaco (0-1)
“The team's reaction was fantastic,” appreciated coach Adi Hütter after Monaco's victory in Bologna (1-0), Tuesday evening during the 4th day of the Champions League, which occurred after the defeat at home against Angers in L1.
“After a big criticism, the most important thing is that the team shows its reaction,” Hütter explained. “This response has been fantastic. I am very proud of our team and what the players showed, especially as we are one of the youngest teams in the competition, we must not forget that. »
“When you score at the end, you’re obviously a little lucky,” he admitted. But when I look back on the whole match, I think we deserved this victory. Especially given our level in the first half, which we played with a lot of speed. »
Real Madrid – AC Milan (1-3)
“It's going to be a long night,” admitted Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after his team's defeat against AC Milan but it will be, according to him, for the best.
“The reality is that on the pitch we are missing something, we are incapable of giving our best version, so we have to resolve that. There is worry, it's normal, it's going to be a very long night, because we all have to think about how to improve things and regain the solidity we've had for so long. We concede too many goals for a team like ours, which has built its strength on defensive solidity,” Ancelotti said at a press conference.
“We are suffering a lot at the moment, and when we suffer we unite more, as I said, it’s going to be a long night, but it’s a good thing,” he added.
His counterpart Paulo Fonseca was satisfied with his team's performance:
“This is the Milan we want to see. We played a high quality match. Fofana Tijjani (Reijnders), (Christian) Pulisic and (Alvaro) Morata were decisive in the way they controlled the game,” explained the Portuguese coach, saluting “the courage” of his midfielders, who “carried the team towards this high level performance”.
