"Good evening! This really is a good evening!" – Ferencváros head coach Stanislav Cherchesov greeted the participants at the press conference.
"At half-time, we knew we were not playing as good as we actually can. I wanted to calm my team down, we tried to attack too fast. During the match, I didn't know how the other opponents in the group were doing, we tried to concentrate on our game," the Russian coach began his evaluation.
FTC's head coach was asked what the key is to his team's recent wins and draws against teams with budgets much bigger than his own.
"And how much money is Iváncsa running on?” the coach quickly retorted. "It's not money that plays football, but you can earn money by playing football. The budget doesn't always matter, you have to be able to manage it well. The key is that we were very united."
Despite winning their group, Cherchesov feels his team is not among the top European clubs.
"We are not yet in the elite. We would belong there if we were in the Champions League group stage and then advanced from there every year. We don't want to be the elite; we want to be Ferencváros with its own history and fans."
Philippe Clement, the visitors' head coach, praised his team.
"I think we dominated; we should've deserved to win. After a very good first half, we managed to control the second half, too. We didn't show the image of an injured team and the team reacted well to the conceded goal. We are disappointed with the result, but the most important thing is that our destiny is still in our hands. The point we got is definitely to be appreciated. On Thursday next week, we will fight to advance."
The coach also praised the quality of FTC's performance and the team's willpower. He noted that the encouragement he and his team received from FTC fans made a difference and congratulated the opponents on the advancement.
EUROPA LEAGUE, GROUP STAGE
ROUND 5
GROUP H
FERENCVÁROS–MONACO 1–1(0–1)
Budapest,Groupama Aréna,20 517spectators.R:Jorgij (Albania)
Ferencváros:Dibusz – Wingo, Botka, S. Mmaee, Pászka (Nguen 65.) – Vécsei (Besic, 56.), Laidouni – Adama Traoré, Gojak (Marquinhos, in half time, Esiti, 90+1.), Zachariassen – R. Mmaee.Head coach:Stanislav Cherchesov
Monaco:Nübel – Disasi, Maripán, Badashile – Vanderson (Diatta, 40.), Golovin, Mo. Camara, Yu. Fofana (Jean Lucas, 83.), Caio Henrique – Volland (Embolo, 83.), Ben Yedder.Head coach:Philippe Clement
Goal scorers:Zachariassen (81.), and Ben Yedder (31.)
| 1. FERENCVÁROS | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8–8 | 0 | 10 |
| 2. Monaco | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5–7 | –2 | 7 |
| 3. Trabzonspor | 5 | 2 | – | 3 | 10–9 | +1 | 6 |
| 4. Crvena zvezda | 5 | 2 | – | 3 | 8–7 | +1 | 6 |
