Ranieri admits to Juve shock
01 Oct 2008 - 09:15:28
Coach Claudio Ranieri admitted that his Juventus side had been shocked by BATE Borisov at the start of their 2-2 Champions League draw in Belarus.
Juve were two goals down just 23 minutes into the game, but were back on level terms by half-time thanks to a Vincenzo Iaquinta double.
Ranieri admitted after the game: "We knew BATE would take this kind of approach, but they did surprise us with their pace.
"It was a nightmare 25 minutes and we did well not to give up. The side reacted brilliantly.
"Tonight we were convinced BATE had quality and did not underestimate them, but there's no denying they did surprise us.
"They deserve praise, as they ran with the strength of 22 men rather than 11.
"BATE surprised us and scored two goals, but we emerged with determination, quality and intelligence to fight our way back into it.
"We did everything we could to win it and didn't manage by a small margin."