MILAN, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Juventus head coach Antonio Conte demanded his side's progress in the UEFA Europa League to be assessed in a proper way following their 2-1 home win over Lyon on Thursday.
The Turin giants reached the semifinals with an aggregate 3-1 win over the French side. And Conte asked his side's achievement not to be taken for granted.
"I think that when we reach these levels, we meet excellent teams who are well organised, and it's not that just because we are called Juventus we are greeted by a red carpet ushering us through to certain victory," he said.
"Anyone who thinks everything is easy just because we are Juventus is deeply wrong. There is always a journey to go through," he said.
He reminded that Juventus' progress so far in the Europa League reprensents a breakthrough not only for themselves but also for all the Italian club sides.
"This season, even though the competition is different, we are still having an important journey in Europe. Juventus hadn't reached this phase in Europe for 10 years," he said.
"We've got to keep our feet on the ground and not forget three years ago this team wasn't even in the Europa League."
"We cared about reaching this objective and hope all of Italy can be happy with it. We represent Italy and that has to bring satisfaction, as there hadn't been a European semi-finalist for six years," he added.
- 英语文摘:Chelsea, Leicester draw, Everton-Man City postponed due to COVID-19
- 英语文摘:CBA roundup: Shanghai snaps Guangdong's 9-game winning streak, Fujian smashes Nanjing
- 英语文摘:Messi grateful for Ballon d'Or Dream Team spot
- 英语文摘:New York nurse receives COVID-19 vaccine, kicking off state inoculation
- 英语文摘:Flick's lucky hand: Paris pupil Coman securing Bayern's glory