Right after the Victoria Plezen match, Beşiktaş’s German Manager Bernd Schuster weighed on the Eagles’ performance for the press:

“It took us a while to settle down and play our own game. During this period, we made a lot of defensive mistakes and gave away the ball too easily. We had to fend off a lot of dangerous crosses against a tall forward line in the first half. Hakan Arıkan, in one word, was superb in the goal tonight and kept us in the game on many occasions.
We bolstered our midfield with Necip Uysal and pushed Delgado more forward in the second half. This move made the difference as we broke their dominance and found our rhythm. I am pleased with the score because it is a substantial advantage for the return match.