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What happened on Thursday night on the grass of the Wörthersee stadium in Klagenfurt is historical. Wolfsberger AC secured second place in Group K with a 1-0 win against Feyenoord Rotterdam (match report >>>) and entered the knockout phase of Europe as the fourth Austrian team after Salzburg, Rapid and LASK League to fix.
WAC coach Ferdinand Feldhofer was unable to fully express what happened after the game. “I have no words, I have to honestly say, amazing! We made history today. We not only went up, but just in a way that inspires me and a lot of people,” said the 41-year-old.
“We mastered it very well, we were well adapted, we did the right things. In the end we performed very well on the field, so it was an exceptional day,” said Michael Liendl, summing up the situation.
Following initial statements from the coach and captain, the noise began to spread in front of the press room at the Wörthesee Stadium. Soon after, the assembled team took the podium to celebrate the promotion with beer with Feldhofer and Liendl.
The video scene (2:56 minutes):
Joy to the grateful Feldhofer
The cheering scenes are emblematic of the joy the WAC coach feels after the historic promotion. He was “extremely proud, extremely grateful to the players, the captain, the staff, the technical team, the management.” Reaching the 16th final in just the second attempt was an “incredibly nice feeling.”
Feldhofer has already survived a group stage as a player. In the 2000/01 season, SK Sturm moved up to Group D of the Champions League as the winner in the second group stage. Feldhofer was 21 at the time.
“I was a player on the team,” says the Styrian of success at the time. “Of course, it was also a very nice moment. But it’s not about this day, this event. I’ve only been a coach for a short time, but I’m very grateful to be able to experience something like this.”
This is also a special success for captain Michael Liendl: “It is an exceptional moment for me. With a club like this, Wolfsberger AC, which no one has really seen on the football map, is really great to see.” . According to the 35-year-old manager, team spirit is a decisive factor in the Lavanttaler’s success.
“I didn’t feel like they could hurt us”
In a playful way, Carinthians always had the action under control in the battered Klagenfurt square. Michael Liendl describes the success over the Dutch as “absolutely deserved”.
“We beat Feyenoord Rotterdam twice in the group. I don’t think many teams can do that. Once they beat 4-1 in a prominent place, once they won 1-0 on a small field. In the end, that’s just quality. How we defend things and the way we take advantage of opportunities is quality ”, analyzes Liendl.
Promotion to the sixteenth final is “absolutely deserved.” According to the “Lobos” playmaker, not many observers would have expected the team to achieve this success.
But the joy of a seemingly unattainable goal is even greater. “Now in the locker room, when you see how everyone is happy, how everyone is happy with the team, that’s unique. It really doesn’t matter if he’s the uniform coach, if it’s the players, if he’s the presidium.” . They are an outstanding team, “says Liendl, who had no concerns about the outcome of the match on the field.
“I don’t think we had the feeling on the field that they could hurt us. We stood our ground and didn’t allow anything,” says Liendl, who would have wanted to “finish better” at one point or another on offense.
The veteran would never have had the feeling “that we could screw it up. That’s also a quality, especially a mental quality, that we brought to the field today.”
Opponents don’t care, but a wish
In the first knockout duel of the European Cup in the club’s history, one or another great name could come to Carinthia. Manchester United, Leverkusen or Tottenham could threaten the “wolves” (for a complete description >>>).
Feldhofer and Liendl agree that the opponent’s name is of secondary importance in the round of 16.
“I haven’t thought about what awaits us. It’s a very, very nice feeling right now. Seeing how happy everyone is and how much heart is involved, it’s very moving,” said Feldhofer, who after the ascent is visibly moved. .
Liendl finds clearer sentences there. “We are in the knockout phase, I really don’t care who comes along. We know a good guy will most likely come,” said the WAC captain, who also did not commit to an opponent, but made a wish.
“The only wish I would have would be to be able to play with the spectators, so I really don’t care about the opponent,” Liendl said, thinking of the empty Wörthersee stadium.
“If there had been spectators there today, the hut would have burned. It still hurts when no one is in the stadium, when you have those experiences and they don’t let you share them with the spectators, it’s very, very bitter. We told ourselves we would hibernate.” just international and see that next year the spectators can enter “, reflects Liendl.
It is not yet possible to say whether this wish will be heard. Forecasts for 2020 should always be treated with caution, as the WAC has impressively demonstrated in the Europa League.
Text as: © LAOLA1.at
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