ECL: We proved we can play football well – Michael Boris

Fehérvár FC head coach Michael Boris looked nervous all day, which is no wonder considering it was the first time he had managed a team as a professional coach in his home country. After the winning match, he attended the official press conference in a relieved manner, where first Nemzeti Sport interviewed him and asked about how much it means to him as a German national that his coaching debut had gone so well in his homeland.

"This success is not about Michael Boris at all, it's about Fehérvár, even though I'm from the area," said Michael Boris. "Our goal was to at least get a draw at Cologne's home, and although we await the return leg with a win, I would warn you that there are still 90 minutes left in the match. As for the match, Cologne started strongly but the players didn't quite know how to outsmart us. The red card changed the game, we exploited the vulnerability of our opponent's defense and proved that we can play football well."

Fehérvár took the lead in the first half, but in the second half, they were forced to concede. We wondered if the step back was intentional or if Cologne had imposed their will.

"The second half didn't go according to plan, power play didn't show in the game because Cologne attacked. It was difficult to control the team in this environment, it was difficult to instruct the team in the cacophony. The atmosphere was fantastic, the hosts were under pressure, they had plenty of corner kicks to take, and they were getting passes, but the home side's efforts were in vain. We had to suffer, we had to run a lot of extra meters, but we were effective with the ball in the wings. It was good to see us helping each other out in tough situations."

The footballers of FC Köln evaluated the match disappointedly but were unanimous in that they would turn the match around in Székesfehérvár with all 11 players on each team.

"I hinted before the game that many things could happen in the match, for example, the referee could send someone off, which could affect the match, and that's what happened," Boris continued. "From that point of view, I don't know how the return leg will go next week, and neither do the players of Cologne. My players will be prepared for the next match, where we can be successful by showing good form on the day and giving our best. Regeneration will be the priority, Saturday will be free, and we will start training on Sunday with renewed vigor to prepare for the return leg."

REMINDER

EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE
PLAYOFF, MATCH 1
1. FC Köln (Germany)–Fehérvár FC 1–2 (1–2)
Cologne, RheinEnergie Stadion, 45 000 spectators. Referee: Tiago Martins (Portugal)
1. FC Köln: Schwäbe – Schmitz, Hübers, Chabot, Pedersen (Kilian, in halftime) – Szkiri, Hector – Thielmann (Maina, 60.), Ljubicic (Olesen, 76.), Kainz (Adamjan, 76.) – Dietz (Tigges, 76.). Head coach: Steffen Baumgart
Fehérvár FC: D. Kovács – Négo, Larsen, Stopira, Sabanov, Hangya – Bamgboye (Lednev, 85.), Rúben Pinto (Pokorny, 90+4.), Fiola, P. Dárdai (Heister, 80.) – Zivzivadze (Lüftner, 90+4.). Head coach: Michael Boris
Goal scorers: Dietz (13.), and Zivzivadze (33.), P. Dárdai (40.)
Sent off: Chabot (20.)