Friday, 5th April, 2013
Fenerbahce forward and Dutch international Dirk Kuyt is adamant there is still a lot to do for the Turkish giants, despite winning the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final bout against Serie A side Lazio 2-0 at home, adding that his side are still at “half time”.
Aykut Kocaman’s side kept it even against Vladimir Petkovic’s Lazio for the entire first half, with chances few for both sides as they struggled to get the upper hand against each other in the middle of the pitch. But the match official’s decision to award Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi his second yellow card of the night changed the complexion of the tie. A Pierre Webo penalty goal was followed by a stoppage-time tap-in from Kuyt.
“It was a very difficult match but that’s normal when you play quarter-finals in UEFA club competitions”, Kuyt said in the post-match press conference, via UEFA. “Tonight, we were very efficient and are satisfied with the 2-0 result.”
But the Dutchman was insistent the job is not yet done. “I think [our win] is just the half time in the overall picture. There’s still one very difficult game to play. Only if we’re really focused we can reach the semi-finals.
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“I played for Liverpool and we were 3-0 down after 65 minutes and still won the Champions League, so in football anything is possible", Kuyt added.
The Fenerbahce striker is also hoping for his side to score in the return leg in Italy.
“If we can at least score a goal, it will be very difficult for them to come back. But I expect they will strive to score as many goals as they can.”
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