Olić: “This win gives us a big boost in the qualifiers”

“I have to give special praise to my players – they played very maturely and bravely away in Budapest. We dominated the first half, but in the second half Hungary increased the pressure and we needed a lot of energy and discipline to withstand it. I’m pleased that we stayed solid in defence, because that was the key – we didn’t allow the hosts to equalise. I’m particularly pleased with how we used the situation at the end – we showed that we believe in every set piece and that we play until the very last minute.

I would also like to thank my entire staff for the excellent work throughout this year. We have enough time to prepare well for March and the match against Turkey, which will be extremely important for the continuation of the qualifiers. This victory gives us a big boost, confirms that we can play at a high level and under pressure, and gives us additional confidence for what lies ahead”, said U21 head coach Ivica Olić.

The scorer of the second goal, Luka Tunjić, also reflected on the match:

“I think we dominated, especially in the first half, and deservedly went into the break with a 0–1 lead. In the second half we struggled a bit because the Hungarians came out much more aggressively, but we reacted well defensively. It was important not to concede, and in the end a free kick — as often happens — decided the match and was crucial for our win”, said Tunjić.

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