CFR plans pay off against 'nervous' Braga
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
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Meticulous preparation paid off for CFR 1907 Cluj and their coach Ioan Andone, who hailed a "huge three points" against an SC Braga team who became "desperate and nervous".
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Ioan Andone, CFR coach
It's a good start. The boys deserve all the congratulations because they took on board everything that we discussed in preparing for the game. We prepared very well; we knew Braga were very good, studied them thoroughly and knew they were a team with good technique who pass the ball around well.
That's why we prepared to play on the counterattack, as we also did in qualifying. These are three huge points and a fantastic start in the competition. Against Manchester United there will be a totally different strategy and approach, but there is enough time to prepare and think about that.
José Peseiro, Braga coach
We didn't have a good balance in the first half. It was important to be calm against a team that defends well but we got desperate and nervous. We fought but we lacked structure.
It does not matter that we had 35 shots compared to their nine, nor that we had more ball possession. We didn't deserve this. There was an expectation that we were favourites for second place but we could not manage those expectations. We did not stay organised.
