Shomurodov, Baldanzi and Pisilli react to last-gasp Athletic win

Here's what they had to say.

Eldor Shomurodov

Talk us through the goal.

“The main thing is we won, not that I scored. We're not celebrating too much because we still have the return leg away from home. And now we have to prepare for Empoli.”

How important is it that Claudio Ranieri believes in you?

“We're like a family and everyone is happy. When all is calm, you feel the belief that the coach and everyone else has in you.”

That late goal means you'll head to Bilbao with a different mentality now.

“Yes, but it's a bit dangerous too. We have to prepare for it the right way mentally and go there to win.”

Tommaso Baldanzi

How did you celebrate?

“We celebrated a lot because it was a tough game against a great team. We got our approach right; it's just a shame because we could have scored more goals – starting with myself. We'll take the win. We know the return leg is going to be hard but we're determined to do well.”

Was the match decided by the substitutions?

“Yes, I think the players who came on did really well – they changed the game. We managed to get a late goal which will come in handy for the return. We had so many chances. Now we want to reach the next round.”

You're starting more and more games in this team.

“I'm really happy about that. I try to improve every day, including the defensive side of my game, so that I can play alongside [Paulo] Dybala, who we all know is a world-class player and one we can't do without. I think I played well today and I did what the boss asked of me. I'm sorry about that missed chance – sorry for the fans, too. We managed to win in the end though and that's the main thing. We'll give it everything in the second leg because we want to go through.”

Niccolò Pisilli

There were lots of youngsters out there today. How did it feel?

“I think it's a very good thing. The sooner young players get the chance to play in big matches like this and the sooner they grow and can improve.”

What sort of game was it in midfield?

“Athletic are a great team. It was pretty cagey in the first half, although we had two good chances and didn't really give much away. In the second half we responded well after going behind.”

How did it feel to be playing inside that stadium this evening?

“The atmosphere in the stadium tonight was almost surreal – I got goose bumps during the warm-up. When our fans are so fired up and when you see all those flags, it energises you in a way that's hard to explain. It gives you an extra boost and really does help you.”

What did you say to Shomurodov after his winning goal?

 “Eldor is in fine form at the moment and we're all delighted because he's a great guy and a great footballer.”