Wiland wonders after FCK hold Juventus
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
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"I have never made so many saves in a single game," said Johan Wiland after his heroics helped FC København earn a 1-1 draw with Stephan Lichtsteiner's incredulous Juventus.
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Goalkeeper Johan Wiland was left to reflect on perhaps the busiest night of his footballing career as his saves helped FC København kick off their UEFA Champions League Group B campaign with a 1-1 draw at home against Juventus. Stephan Lichtsteiner acknowledged the goalkeeper's prowess, but concluded: "It is hard to travel back to Italy with only one point in the suitcase having wasted all these great chances."
Johan Wiland, København goalkeeper
I have never made so many saves in a single game at København as I have today. I had two important saves in the first half, but I think that we controlled them – we made it difficult for Juventus to create chances. But in the second half we got tired and Juventus took control. Over all, it was a very good result, taking one point against a big team like Juventus.
The save I'm most proud of is the one from Paul Pogba's shot in the first half. It was very important. I was quite lucky that the ball hit my leg. With the attempt before that I made another good save, but it was a bad header from Giorgio Chiellini from very close range.
If we play like we played today, we are in for a great time. We just need everybody to perform at the same level as we did today, then we can win matches, even in this competition. This match gives us a lot of confidence and we will definitely bring this with us to the next game.
Thomas Delaney, København midfielder
The first half was very good. We created a lot and had a lot of possession. In the second half, Juventus created a lot of great chances, but Johan Wiland kept us in the game. He was extraordinary – I have never seen him playing that well.
The atmosphere at Parken was fantastic. When the Champions League anthem finished, I got goosebumps and I was close to tears.
It was a tough match. Their team is full of great players. You really feel their quality when you play them yourself. We had problems with them passing the ball to the space behind our defence. It is difficult to stop them doing that as they have eight players who can make the decisive pass.
Stephan Lichtsteiner, Juventus midfielder
Of course we wanted to win the game. We came back and got the one point. In the first half, we were below par, but in the second half we played very well. We had two big chances in the first half, and then even more in the second – four, five or six big chances. It is hard to travel back to Italy with only one point in the suitcase after having wasted all these great opportunities.
We cannot be satisfied with only one point here in Copenhagen. We needed to win a game like this. It is important for us to play our game. We did that in the second half, but their goalkeeper did very well.
It was a nice game to play in a good atmosphere. They were happy with the 1-1. For us it was important to win. We didn't, so we cannot be satisfied.