On July 18th, Nanjing City from the Central League beat Qingdao Hainiu 2-0 in the 1/8th final of the F.A.C. Cup. In the press conference after the match, Nanjing City's head coach Fabio said frankly that the team was well prepared for the match and the players performed very well.
Fabio said:- "Let's start with the first half, I think we were well prepared. We knew that the other team was a very capable team, but we also knew that their style of play would leave us some gaps.
For us, we are always a team that focuses on possession and looks for opportunities in possession. We gave a lot in training before and I think our players were excellent in the first half in terms of tactics and technique. Even after the 2-0 scoreline, there were other chances to extend the lead.
At halftime, I also hinted to the players that 2-0 is a very dangerous scoreline. At the same time, we made some tactical adjustments. In the second half, we often contracted back and waited for a chance to counterattack. If we wanted to put the ball behind the opponent, our players did an efficient enough job on the defensive end that we basically didn't give the opponent too many chances to score, and the scoreboard didn't widen in the end.
I think our players deserve more congratulations than they get, and a big thank you to the fans who have traveled far and wide to support us, including those who are watching the game at home, and to the club leaders who have always been there for us."
