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UEFA CUP: Viola display raises Prandelli hopes

/noticias.info/ After seeing his ACF Fiorentina side held 1-1 at home by PSV Eindhoven in their UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg, Cesare Prandelli said the equaliser came just as the Viola were playing their best football. Sef Vergoossen, meanwhile, pronounced himself "very satisfied" with the result, explaining that PSV's main aims for the game were achieved.

Cesare Prandelli, Fiorentina coach
We tried to raise the tempo, especially in the second half, but PSV are good at slowing it down and forcing the game into their style of play – they are more experienced than us in this kind of games. PSV are a top team who are used to playing in the UEFA Champions League and often win their domestic competitions but I think we did quite well against them. Unfortunately they equalised almost immediately after our goal right when we were playing our best football.

We tried to score another and we went close a few times but lacked that final touch. We know it will be very difficult in the return leg but we are still confident of progressing. I think we proved we can match their level tonight. It will be important to play with confidence because we can cause them trouble if we express ourselves. We performed well tonight and next week we will travel to Eindhoven thinking that we can qualify

Sef Vergoossen, PSV coach
I'm very satisfied with the result. Not losing and scoring at least one goal were our objectives ahead of the game. We controlled the game well in the first half while in the second we lost possession cheaply too many times, allowing Fiorentina to be more dangerous. In general, though, I'm very happy with our performance. We will not have Jefferson Farfán in the return leg. He is an important player for us but it's impossible to always avoid yellow cards in these kinds of games and it's up to us to find a solution to cope without him.

I was ready to replace Danny Koevermans just before he scored the equaliser – luckily he managed to score just in time. We showed we are in good physical condition because it was a real battle and we faced it with a great fighting spirit. It proved that our recent problems in the Eredivisie were probably mental. A 0-0 draw would be enough in the return leg but we will certainly play to win at home because that's our mentality. notas_de_prensa_archivo