Coaching duo: #WISKFL

Thursday marked an international match. After a 12-year hiatus, Wisła Kraków made their European debut with a 2-0 victory over KF Llapi in their first match. The coaches of both teams shared their post-match comments.

Blerim Bunjaku - assistant coach of KF Llapi

"The atmosphere was fantastic, and so was the crowd. I'd like to thank Wisła for their hospitality. We also played a match in Kosovo in such an atmosphere. We're referring to the match against Buducnost two years ago in the European competition," he began. "Our team's start to the match wasn't great. Perhaps the atmosphere created by the Wisła fans had a hand in this. However, I congratulate my players for their commitment and what they showed on the pitch. We played better in the second half. We had more possession, had some good moments, and in my opinion, the score doesn't reflect what was shown on the pitch. As for the second leg, there are still 90 minutes and we have a chance to achieve our goal," he added.

How does the coach assess the hosts' performance? "Wisła delivered what we expected based on various points in our preparations for this match. We conceded two goals because our players were careless. The first goal came because we conceded a so-called 'second ball.' As for the second goal, it came when we were still hoping for an equalizer. It was one of our best periods of the match. I'll repeat – we had a lot of possession. On the pitch, however, we saw what we were prepared for before the match. The players delivered what we hoped for," he said.

Coach Tahir Batatina was shown a red card and had to leave the coaching box before the end of the match. "Regarding the red card, honestly, we don't know why it was shown. The coach believed there was a foul on our goalkeeper. We don't know why the referee showed him a red card. Another of our assistants got a yellow card because he wanted to know why the referee showed our coach a red card," he explained.

Kazimierz Moskal - Wisla Krakow

"We're definitely happy with the 2-0 victory, because it was 1-0 for a long time and everyone probably thought it might end that way, but you always have to play until the end. This result is definitely pleasing. As for the game itself, I'll say this – it was definitely a tough opponent. They played aggressively, just as we expected, and they moved the ball well. I can't say we had complete control of the match. I think the opponents had better possession at times, but I think that based on the course of the match, especially in clear-cut situations, we probably had a bit more. As I said – the result is what matters to us. We're happy with the 2-0, but we also have to remember that we have a very difficult away match in Kosovo ahead of us. We also have to remember that this is our third match, including friendlies, since we started preparing for this season. I congratulated the players on the victory, because football is about winning matches," began coach Kazimierz Moskal. "To quote a classic, '2-0 is a very dangerous result,' so we definitely have to be prepared for a difficult match. As I said, Thursday's match was difficult for us, and I think it will be more difficult there. And what do we expect there? From what we have information, the pitch itself is supposedly in very good condition. The stadium isn't impressive, but the pitch is good. As for the opponent's attitude, I think it will be the same as here in Krakow," he continued.

Journalists asked the coach whether Wisła shouldn't have pressed their opponents more in the first half, to which Kazimierz Moskal replied: "We probably always would have found moments in the match where we could have pressed someone more or controlled the game more, but we're also facing a team that's not just random. They also showed they can play football, they can play under pressure, and they can get out of it. It's hard to expect us to be under constant and relentless pressure for 90 minutes. If they managed to get out of it once or twice, we needed to catch up on that time and get some air." "I think we still have a lot of work ahead of us in various aspects. We were just talking about pressing, about pressing harder or applying pressure better. Personally, I like it when my team has complete control of the match, and we'll definitely strive for that. If we have control over what's happening on the pitch, it will be harder for our opponents to threaten us," he pointed out.

Marc Carbó, who had been absent from the last friendly due to health issues, played in the KF Llapi match. "I think this match made an impression on all the players who played from the start. I want to emphasize again that this is our third match, and the first official match with a stake. And we have two friendly matches under our belts. Marc didn't play in the last friendly due to health reasons, so I'm not surprised that he might have had some problems at the end. The changes we made were also due to this. Fatigue was evident in some players. We could have made five changes, but we didn't make all of them, but this match also took a toll on us. That's fair to say," he said.

Rafał Mikulec and Olivier Sukiennicki are Wisła's debutants. How did the coach assess their performances? "As for Mikulec, I think he played at the level we expected. He's a player who's extremely difficult to play against, and he fulfilled that role. Of course, we take into account that it was his first match, his debut in front of such a crowd and in European competitions, but I'm very positive about his performance, just like Olivier's. However, Olivier looked much better after changing position, when he came on in place of "Gogi," but we also have to consider the fact that he's a guy who has previously played in the third tier and suddenly played the whole match in European competitions, so I'm also pleased with his performance," he announced. So, does the coach intend to move Sukiennicki to midfield? "I value a player who we can use in various positions. Today, partly out of necessity, and partly because of how we wanted to play, he started on the wing. I'm still getting to know him, and he also needs to learn how we want to play, to show himself. After this match, we will definitely say unequivocally that he's better He was dropped after changing position, but I don't rule out the possibility that the wing could be an option for him, because he can also play lower - in position six or eight," he explained.

The injured list has recently expanded somewhat. Could any of them return for the second leg in Kosovo, or perhaps the club will be able to add players to the squad? "Well, I don't know if any of the injured players will join. We might be able to bring someone in, but we also don't know what their fitness level will be, and it's difficult to put someone straight into the squad if they haven't trained with us. Of course, we're making an effort because we understand our situation, but for now, we have to work with what we have. That's it. There's no point in throwing up our hands here, and I don't know, I wouldn't rush into this week of quiet work... When I read Ancelotti's book, maybe ten minutes after a win is when you can take a breather, and then it starts again. Fortunately, this is only the beginning of the season," he noted.