Brian Priske will go down in the books as the first coach to win an away Champions League game with Feyenoord since 2002 (Bert van Marwijk vs Newcastle United). The coach was as happy as he was realistic after the spectacular 2-3 on visit to Girona FC.
Feyenoord had to go very deep for their first Champions League three-peat this season, Priske also acknowledged. 'The boys definitely showed mentality. We played against a strong opponent from Spain, who may not be having their best season but can make things difficult for many teams. The team fought for each other until the last second.'
The latter in particular pleased the coach, especially given the build-up phase his team is in. 'Of course, there is plenty of room for improvement. We are not happy with how the second half went, then we were struggling and not in control. In the first half we did many things well, that has to grow into 90 minutes. In that respect, I hope this gives confidence. These three points are very important.'