The coach of the Turkish national football team Vincenzo Montella commented after the victory over Georgia with 3 :1 at the start of Group F at Euro 2024, that it was a match worthy of finals, BTA reported.
"Our supporters were great even though it was difficult. This victory is also for them. I'm turning 52 today, so this is the best present I could have received,'' Montella said.
"We had 22 shots on goal today. We have to be more efficient, but I appreciate the performance of the team. We relaxed a bit after the VAR disallowed second goal, but that happens. Physically, Georgians are very healthy and well organized. They know their strengths and weaknesses and play accordingly. They are not at the European Championship by chance," continued Vincenzo Montella.
On Turkey's ambitions, the selector said: "This is the first time we have won our first match at such a championship and we have not been out of the group in our last three European Championships. Last time we didn't even get a point. Our first goal was to win this game. We did it and the dream is now to win the next match and qualify for the eliminations."
Turkish national team captain Hakan Calhanoglu said: "After 1:1 we gave away possession and that was not good for us because we had to run more and it was exhausting."
"We are very happy. I think the most important thing is that today we really wanted to win and we gave our best. I think everyone saw how hard we worked today. We also made some mistakes, so we have to learn from them. We must remain calm. We have to analyze our performance and see our mistakes. Today we played like at home and we are grateful to our fans who made the stadium red and white," added Calhanoglu.
The author of the third goal for Turkey against Georgia, Kerem Akturkoglu, commented: "We dreamed of starting with a win. We knew we were in for a great atmosphere. It was like we were playing as the hosts. We have made an excellent start, but this is only the beginning. Until now, we had not started our participation in the European Championship with a victory. This is historic for us. We have to stay grounded if we want this win to mean anything."
Georgia head coach Willy Sagnol said after the 3-1 defeat by Turkey in Dortmund in the first meeting between the two teams at the European Championship in Turkey that his team can be proud of their performance.
"It's never nice to lose, but I think my team can be proud of their performance and that they showed Georgian football in a positive light. I think we had as many chances as they did. Feelings are a bit mixed now. I don't want to say deserved or not because that's the story in football. We were hoping for a better start, but I'm proud of my players. Arda Guler is a great talent. He will gain more experience and score many more goals," commented the French specialist.
"I think we should always look at the bigger picture. This European Championship comes on the back of a huge amount of work in Georgia, as well as the fact that we have been working with the youth over the last decade. The tournament is a reward for this investment," Sagnol continued at the press conference after the match, quoted by the official website of the European football headquarters - UEFA.
When asked what his team lacks, Willy Sagnol said: "Maybe a little talent, a little experience - the things we will gain only by participating in such tournaments. The more games like this we play, the better we will be. We are learning and we will get better as a team."
And as for the atmosphere of "Signal Iduna Park" in Dortmund, he said: "This stadium is fantastic - it is made for football and emotion. The atmosphere today was generally great - a fitting stage for such a match. I don't know if the match created the atmosphere or the atmosphere created the match."