'We will be happy after we pass the round!' Okan Buruk's words on 5-2 Juve victory...

Galatasaray hosted Italian giant Juventus in the first match of UEFA Champions League last 16 play-off round. After trailing 2-1 in the first half, the yellow-reds won the match 5-2. With this result, Cimbom gained an advantageous score before the rematch. Galatasaray will face Juventus in Turin on Wednesday, February 25 in the rematch of this round.

'WE MUST KEEP OUR FEET ON THE GROUND'

Galatasaray Technical Director Okan Buruk made evaluations after the 5-2 victory over Juventus.

"First of course we are incredibly happy. It's a night when we have to keep our feet on the ground. We got an important win, an important effort. Not only ours, but also our fans. We had a very good night. A very important night for the players, for me and for Galatasaray. To crown it, we need to play the same way in the second game.

We need to be happy after the second game. There is confidence and happiness right now. We will be happier after we pass the round."

'THERE IS A RACE AMONG THE PLAYERS'

"There is the Konyaspor match in the league. We need to play with the same desire and concentration. It's a tough fixture but one of the best parts is our squad depth. Our squad depth gave us an important support to win the match today. There is also competition among the players. This will reflect positively on Galatasaray."

HALFTIME SPEECH

"I congratulated them for the first half. We were the more dominant team but we conceded two very unlucky goals. We managed the game, your players put a lot of effort. We did well to recover. I said we will win when we continue with the same game.

The important thing is that we scored the second goal very early. With that confidence, the third goal, the red card. We played a very dominant game, we finished the game with a lot of desire. We didn't get into the psychology that the score is enough for us, that's what I want the most. It was very important to score. We have experienced the pain of this before, so it is an important happiness for me to experience the opposite."

JUVE GET 5 FOR THE FIRST TIME

Buruk made statements at the press conference organized after the match at RAMS Park.

Reminding that it was a two-legged match, Buruk said, "It is a very important night. We leave here happy. But we haven't won anything yet, we have only won one match and we have a second match to play away. If we are going to be happy, we should be happy after passing the round. Of course we will sleep happy when we put our heads on the pillow. Tomorrow we will have a day off. Starting the next day we will think about the league game and the rematch. I think we got an important point, Juventus are a very important team. A team that can create an important atmosphere at home. We will not be happy until we play the second match."

Buruk, on being reminded that they scored 5 goals for the first time in the UEFA Champions League organized since 1993 and Juventus conceded 5 goals for the first time, said, "This result is important for us. We are very happy but the second match is not over until it is played. We will be happy about this. I know how good our opponent is and how hard they will push us."

The coach of the yellow-red team stated that they have shown an important performance both in the Trendyol Super League and the UEFA Champions League, and added the following:

"We need to keep our feet on the ground. You cannot say anything before the round. There is everything in football. Today we went into the half-time break 2-1 down but we won 5-2. We need to keep our feet on the ground. In terms of form, we are doing well both in the league and in Europe. The individual performances of our players are improving. Our aim is to go all the way in Europe and win the Super League. We will play an important match away (Konyaspor) on Saturday. In order to maintain our 3-point lead in the league, the league matches will have the same value for us. This state of form and our self-confidence boosts us even more."

'WE HAD A GOOD TRANSFER PERIOD'

Okan Buruk stated that they spent the interim transfer period well and said that the squad depth they achieved made them happy.

Stating that he was pleased with the increase in squad depth, the experienced technical man said, "We had a good transfer period. We are experiencing a period in which I am happy, the number of players on the bench has increased, competition has increased, and injured players have returned. We are in our best squad period. It is very important for the players who start and continue the game. There is also a psychological side to this. Everyone is competing with each other in the competition on the pitch. This competition will lead to success for Galatasaray. When you write down the players who will start or continue, it is important that they are close to each other. We started the league match and the Champions League match with different 11s. It is also important to catch this. When you see the high-tempo matches in the Champions League, it is important to compete with so many players in this race. We see that Juventus had this problem. They also had problems in some areas."

GALATASARAY'S FINALS CHANCES

The coach of the yellow-red team said that all teams that continue their way in the UEFA Champions League have a chance to reach the final.

Stating that last season's champion Paris Saint-Germain advanced by playing play-offs, Buruk said, "Last year's champion PSG won the cup by qualifying for the top 24 at the last moment. They are playing play-offs again. You never know who will go where in the Champions League. There are favorites, but the match cannot be won without playing. All current teams have a chance to reach the final. Performances can change from time to time."