Metin Ulgen: “This is all we could do in a league we are participating in for the first time.”
After losing 6-1 to Roma in the second match of UEFA Women’s Champions League Group A, Galatasaray Petrol Ofisi’s head coach Metin Ulgen said, “This is all we could do in a league we are participating in for the first time.”
Speaking at the press conference after the match held at Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Ulgen emphasized that all three teams in the group have experience in Europe. He also highlighted that they studied their opponents one by one when they reached the Round of 16, stating, “The opponents play at a fast pace and are physical, and they have good players. When we played a bit openly at home, this difference reflected in the score. We couldn’t respond. With individual mistakes, a different scoreline occurred. The Champions League is a very important place, and there are significant teams. If we learn from this, it could be different next year if we become champions in the league. But we definitely need experience. This is all we could do in a league we are participating in for the first time.”
Ulgen noted that the Champions League is a different arena, adding, “We have learned about the teams. They play at a very fast pace and are physical. Unfortunately, fouls that are called in Turkey are not in Europe. If we had been more careful defensively and played towards counter-attacks, maybe we could have held the game a bit better.”
Alessandro Spugna: “We could have scored more than 6 goals.”
After winning 6-1 against Galatasaray Petrol Ofisi and increasing their points to 6, Roma’s head coach Alessandro Spugna said it was a great match for them, stating, “I think we played very well. We wanted to break the game early and take the 3 points. We played well for 90 minutes, and we could have scored more than 6 goals. I am very pleased with the players who came in and those who went out; it was an important 3 points for the group.”
Evaluating Galatasaray, Spugna said, “It’s not easy, of course; they are in a tough group. I think they have good players. This was a good experience for them for the future. In the meantime, everything is not over. Last year, Paris Saint-Germain also couldn’t win their first 2 matches, but they managed to advance from the group. Anything is possible in the Champions League.”
