FC Zurich midfielder Antonio Marchesano was proud of the team’s battling performance during Thursday’s 2-1 UEFA Europa League defeat to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, speaking to Blick.
Make no mistake, the Gunners certainly had to work for their three points on Swiss soil.
While the visitors dominated over 70 per cent of the possession, a disciplined, well-drilled Zurich side were in no mood to roll out the red carpet; cancelling out Marquinhos’ opener and threatening a shock before Eddie Nketiah’s second-half decider.
You certainly wouldn’t have guessed that this is a team stuck in the Swiss Super League’s relegation zone, failing to win any of their first seven domestic games.
Arsenal secure narrow FC Zurich win
“It was an incredible match for all of us. We deserved this opponent after the performances of last season,” says Marchesano, who stepped off the bench with 20 minutes remaining.
“If you play in Switzerland, there might be opponents like that once or twice in a lifetime. It’s normal that everyone wants to be there. Nobody will spare themselves.
“Of course, Arsenal are on a different level. However, we showed against Bayer Leverkusen (a famous 3-2 win back in 2018) that we can play and win against bigger opponents. The rule is: Cheer up, play without fear and enjoy.”
Marchesano, however, insists that Sunday’s trip to high-flying Servette is ‘more important’ to a Zurich side desperate to kick start their season.
“Even though Arsenal are exceptional, Sunday’s game in Geneva is much more important to us,” the midfielder adds. “We really want to score points to finally get out of this negative spiral.”
Head coach Franco Foda, meanwhile, was proud of his team’s efforts; standing firm against an Arsenal side who had a 100 per cent record after five Premier League matches.
“The result is not satisfactory. Nevertheless, it was a very courageous performance and a good performance,” says the former Austria boss, via Nau. “The way the team performed makes me very positive.
“Unfortunately, we still lost.”
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