Jocelyn Gourvennec did not shy away from his pleasure after Losc’s victory in Seville on Tuesday evening in the Champions League. This first success in C1 has a very special flavor for the Lille coach.
Can we talk about an exploit for Losc this evening?
It was a challenge before the game, to have a good game, and then to win. So yes, it is undoubtedly an achievement. Sevilla are an intractable team at home, only Dortmund and Chelsea have come to win here in C1 lately; It’s a tough team to play, we have responded present in what we want to do, that’s important, and for once we had the small success factor in our favor.
Can you tell us about the locker room after this match?
I felt a lot of satisfaction among the players. Regarding the game plan, the collective discipline, we were able to respond, we had to hold 98 minutes – given the additional time – but with this discipline and this efficiency, we can say that it changes a lot of things … We have achieved what we had missed in the last quarter of an hour at the Parc des Princes, so yes there is a little emotion; the players are very happy to have won. We haven’t said our last word! It’s a lot of joy and smiles tonight but no euphoria …
Could this match be a trigger in your season?
It’s important to put yourself in European mode, even more so when you come to play a major from the continent, here in Seville. We must also continue to take points in the league, and to appear well in these prestigious matches. We do honor to the club and to France tonight but our daily life remains L1. The click will also go through a full match against Angers this weekend.
Did the blatant penalty, forgotten in the first half, lead you to revolt?
I don’t know… Not to mention the revolt, we did not get out of our match, which happened to us in Salzburg after the injustice of the penalty against us. Given the goal we are taking tonight, where the success factor clearly eludes us, given this history of penalties, we had the merit of not leaving our match, and we were rewarded! I admit, on this penalty, I do not even understand why it is not whistled … It is not even a question of interpretation.
Ikoné has been very criticized lately, can we speak of revenge concerning him?
It’s good for him, that’s for sure, he had a difficult season last year, he got off to a good start… We have already seen him spinning around, we know what he is capable of. He’s been in all the right places tonight, and he’s regained efficiency, it’s a sign that things are improving for him, and it’s good that he’s being rewarded.
This kind of match also contributes to mark the history of Losc …
It’s not a detail, that’s for sure. It is a challenge to take up to win against a great from Spain away from home, we don’t have to boast about it, we don’t have to be satisfied with it. But you also have to keep in mind that this kind of victory marks the history of clubs, and of players… Tonight, it’s a great reward for the whole of Losc and all its components.
On a personal level, it is also a satisfaction …
I do my job with a lot of desire and commitment. What guides me is the work with my staff, the trust we have in each other. We are improving, even if we are lagging behind in terms of points. Personally, I have been sleeping, drinking and eating Losc since I joined the club. I am only doing this and I will do this again, I hope, in the years to come.
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