Soccer-Alonso relieved with win for tired Leverkusen over Milan
LEVERKUSEN, Germany, Oct 1 (Reuters) -Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso praised his side for fighting fatigue to take all three points after they dominated the opening hour against AC Milan and did enough to earn a 1-0 win in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Leverkusen have a maximum six points after a 4-0 win over Feyenoord in their opening game, but were unable to put Milan away after taking a deserved lead, which Alonso put down to tiredness after their 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich on Saturday.
"I think it's great news that German football is competitive. It's good news for us too to have achieved this result against Milan," Alonso told Sky Sports.
"Our first sixty minutes were good but in the end we suffered from fatigue after the game against Bayern Munich.
"We showed spirit and character, these three points are very good. In the Champions League you have to know how to suffer and fight, not just play well."
Leverkusen had plenty of chances in the opening half but failed to find the net and a struggling Milan held on to go in level at the break.
Instead of Leverkusen finishing the game off after finally taking the lead through Victor Boniface early in the second half, it was Milan who found an extra gear and threatened to snatch a draw on more than one occasion.
"We struggled a lot to score but maybe after the goal we changed our approach too quickly. Maybe we lacked something on a physical level" Alonso said.
"We had the right respect and took them very seriously. The last 20 minutes were not quite as good, but the players gave everything to get the three points."
Reporting by Trevor Stynes
Editing by Toby Davis
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
