Young Boys Technical Director Patrick Rahmen, who eliminated Galatasaray in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off round, said, “We missed chances in the first half. We remained calm during the half. Despite Galatasaray’s pressure in the second half, they could not create clear goal opportunities. We turned the game in our favor by going on the counter-attack at the right time. I am proud of the attitude we have displayed in recent weeks. Our performance in the last 2 games has also made me very happy.”
In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off round, the Swiss team Young Boys won the first leg against Galatasaray 3-2 and then beat them 1-0 away to advance to the league stage of the organization. Following the match, Young Boys Technical Director Patrick Rahmen made statements at the press conference.
Rahmen, who expressed his pride in his team, said, “After the difficult weeks in Switzerland, we had some defeats. We have been on the rise in recent weeks. We displayed an extremely impressive performance against Galatasaray at home and away. They were all present in the match, they evaluated the opportunities and areas well. We missed chances in the first half. We remained calm during the half. Despite Galatasaray’s pressure in the second half, they could not create clear goal opportunities. We turned the game in our favor by going on a counter-attack at the right time. I am proud of the attitude we have displayed in recent weeks. Our performance in the last 2 matches also made me very happy.”
‘TENSION HAS RISEN MUCH IN THE LAST MOMENTS’
Rahmen stated that the foreign substances thrown onto the field did not affect them and continued his words as follows:
“We can’t say it had a positive effect. We understood that it was a very heated environment. We were in a very excited atmosphere. The tension escalated in the last moments. In the end, we found the right rhythm in the game and did not deviate from our game plan.”
Rahmen responded to a question about his team’s moves to cool down the game as follows:
“That’s your opinion. I wouldn’t describe it as ‘cooling down the game’. We played very dominantly in the first half. In the second half, the offensive weapons of a strong team like Galatasaray slowed down our pace in the first half. We had to withstand the pressure for 10-15 minutes. That’s what we did. We didn’t let them come to our goal very often, we were dangerous in counter-attack positions. I can’t say we cooled down the game.”
‘WE USED A SIGNIFICANT PART OF OUR OPPORTUNITIES’
Rahmen stated that he saw many strengths of Galatasaray and made analysis, and said, “We saw that we could win the ball and create a position when pressure was applied in defense. Galatasaray has an offensive style of play. We tried to escape to the gaps. We used a significant portion of our opportunities in both matches. Our position quality in the first match was quite high. I think we deserved the results we got in both matches.”
‘GALATASARAY WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT DRAW WE COULD HAVE’
Rahmen concluded his statements with the following statements:
“We performed very well in both matches. Many people did not expect this from our team. We did not start the season well. Our performance improved after that but the results were not as we wanted. We went to the cup match at the right time. We focused on the two Champions League matches by getting away from the league atmosphere. We were sure we would succeed but we were also aware that we were facing the best team we could face. We had to show high performance in both matches. And we did that. Galatasaray was a top-level opponent for us when you look at their 11 on the field, their football qualities and experience. We did a great job. This was the toughest draw we could have made. I am proud to leave here today. There were very loud and amazing fans. Footballers live for matches like this every day. It makes you happier to leave such matches with a win.”