Tactics just right for Sollied

A tactical switch by Club Brugge KV coach Trond Sollied proved conclusive as the Belgian side overwhelmed Galatasaray SK 3-1 to move above them into second spot in UEFA Champions League Group H.

Early dominance
The away side had much the better of the opening quarter, something the Norwegian was quick to acknowledge. "Galatasaray had a lot of possession of the ball in the first 20 minutes, and my goalkeeper, Dany Verlinden, had to make some good saves during that period," said Sollied.

Tactical change
The reason for that, Sollied admitted, was that his side had been unsettled by Galatasaray's switch from the system they employed at the Ali Sami Yen stadium three weeks ago. "Galatasaray made so many changes from the last time we played them that we had to adapt our system," he said. "I thought they were going to play 4-4-2, but in fact they played 4-5-1."

Simons switch
In response, Sollied pushed Timmy Simons into a more advanced role, effectively adopting a 4-3-3 rather than the 5-3-2 with which he had started, a change that allowed Alin Stoica to come more into the game. And, with the Romanian in full flow, Brugge took control, Sandy Martens giving them the lead in first-half added time.

Wasted chances
"It was a very big surprise for me how many chances we created against a side such as Galatasaray," he continued. "After we made our change, we had several chances, and in the end I'm not sure 3-1 was a big enough scoreline in our favour."

Terim not happy
Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim, meanwhile, was clearly unhappy with the way his side had let their authority slide. "We played well in the first half, but towards half-time my midfield players pushed on too far," he said. "And that was why Brugge were able to score at the worst possible time for us."

Stupid goal
Fabio Pinto levelled from Elvir Baljic's cross eleven minutes into the second half, but Gert Verheyen, a clear man-of-the-match, restored the home side's advantage on 72 minutes, pressuring Emre Asik into an error, then cutting inside and lashing a shot past Faryd Mondragon. "After we equalised in the second half we had the game under control again, and then we let in a stupid goal," Terim said.

Important result
Bengt Sæternes added a third in added time to confirm Brugge's victory, and leave Solleid dreaming of a place in the second group stage. "This was an important result as far as our qualification is concerned," Solleid said. "We had a lot of chances, but could not take them all and that might be a problem in the future.

Mental persistence
"[FC] Barcelona's victory over [FC] Lokomotiv Moskva is good for us as well. They will come here having already qualified, and that could be an advantage for us. What is very positive is that we kept going from a mental point of view having missed so many chances."

Terim optimistic
Terim, though, has certainly not given up his hopes of a place in the next stage. "We are not out yet," he said. "We still have a chance in the two remaining games."