Italiano praises Vlahovic: "Our fans will fall in love with him"

Beşiktaş defeated Hradec Kralove 1-0 at Dolmabahçe in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round, securing a 2-0 aggregate victory and advancing to the play-off round. Speaking after the match, head coach Vincenzo Italiano expressed his satisfaction with both his team's performance and the stadium atmosphere. The Italian manager emphasized that although he has traveled to many away matches in Europe, the atmosphere at Dolmabahçe gave him a completely different feeling.

Italiano stated that he told his players it was inevitable to perform at one hundred percent in such a special environment. The Italian coach noted that his team put on a good performance for 80 minutes, but although they created more scoring chances, they were unable to convert them. Reminding everyone that the squad has only been together for 70 days, Italiano expressed his belief that they would become a stronger and near-perfect team over time.

The most notable part of the interview, however, was his comments about new signing Dusan Vlahovic. Italiano said he had known the Serbian striker closely for a long time and that they had achieved great things together. He described Vlahovic as a hungry, aggressive, and young player. The head coach revealed that he had spoken with the player and that Vlahovic was very happy about his transfer to Beşiktaş, adding that in his view, he is a champion-caliber footballer.

Italiano concluded his remarks by saying, "We will play to get him scoring goals, and our fans will fall in love with him. Beşiktaş has gained an incredible number nine." The Italian coach also stated that he found the club's transfer business successful, that they aim to continue their journey in the Europa League, and that they would give all players a chance to feature in the coming weeks.