Kuyt revels in "great night for Turkish football"

Posted Friday, April 26, 2013 by Foxsports.com

Fenerbahce striker Dirk Kuyt was delighted that his side came away with a deserved 1-0 win against Benfica, increasing their chances of making the Europa League final.

Kuyt revels in

The Dutchman was part of the squad that relentlessly attacked the Benfica goal in the Europa League semi-final first leg encounter at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

Fener were denied thrice by the woodwork and Cristian Baroni also saw a penalty saved by Benfica keeper Artur towards the end of the first half.

Eventually, Egemen Korkmaz managed to score 18 minutes before the end to ensure a deserved lead but Aykut Kocaman's side have to finish the job at the Estadio da Luz next week in the second leg.

"It is a great night for Turkish football," Kuyt told reporters after the game. "We won in spite of our bad luck."

"Tactically, and in terms of preparation, we were incredible. We managed to cancel them out, having spent the last three days studying everything that they do."

Even Kocaman was in good spirits after the match and pointed out that it was just as important for his side to have prevented an away goal as coming away with a first leg win on the night.

"It was very important for us not to concede, and we managed that today [Thursday]," the Fenerbahce boss stated.

"Physically, I think we showed our strength tonight and we have managed to secure an advantage for the second leg.

"The final is by no means certain but we will do our best to make it. For now, I would just like to congratulate all of my players."

He also placed no blame on Cristian after the midfielder saw his penalty hit the post in the 47th minute.

"It's meaningless to discuss this topic," Kocaman continued. "Penalties are missed. Cristian's our number one penalty taker and he will continue to take them."

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Volkan Demirel believes the unwavering belief within the squad was key to their success on the night.

Fener are participating in the semi-final stage of a European tournament for the first time in their 105-year history.