Gönen eyeing early progress after Beşiktaş success
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Article summary
Goalkeeper Cenk Gönen is hoping Beşiktaş JK can progress before a matchday six meeting with Tottenham Hotspur FC, while FK Partizan's Saša Ilić bemoaned a slow start.
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Article body
• Beşiktaş goalkeeper Cenk Gönen hoping to wrap up qualification on matchday five
• Partizan midfielder Saša Ilić rues sides slow start
• 36-year-old veteran midfielder sees bright future in side's young players
• Match report: Beşiktaş 2-1 Partizan
• Next games: Asteras v Beşiktaş, Tottenham v Partizan (27 November)
Cenk Gönen, Beşiktaş goalkeeper
[For Partizan's last-minute chance] I was focused on the ball, so I did not feel anything at that moment, but after it passed, it felt really good. I feel I contributed to the victory. It was a good night for all of us. For Partizan's goal, the ball was coming to me, but it hit Pedro Franco's right foot and took a different direction, so I could not save it. I've not got to play very often in the last two seasons so, when I do, I want to make the most of it.
In football, sometimes you have to be on the bench, but when the coach puts me in, I want to contribute in the best way possible. Things are going well in the group. We are in leading position alongside Tottenham. Hopefully we will guarantee qualification in the next game. This game was a good opportunity for us to stop our temporary slump [in the domestic league] and we made full use of that opportunity. We want to win again at the weekend and start a new winning streak.
Saša Ilić, Partizan midfielder
If we played at the beginning like we did in the last 15 minutes, then we could have got a better result than this. We know that we have a very young team – many of them played their first or second games in Europe tonight. If this young team keeps playing for two or three years, they will play better. You have to understand that we are outsiders here. For us, a good result is just to play in the Europa League or Champions League next season. To fight for a better place, we need a minimum of five players and we need more money. The young players need only to fight. They need to know that nobody in European football is to be feared. And if they stay together for the next few years, maybe they'll play better with more confidence and get better results.