Virtus Bologna’s coach, Luca Banchi, expressed hope that their victory against Monaco would boost the team’s confidence.
Virtus dominated Monaco on the road by 83:59, securing their first victory of the new EuroLeague season.
“This is just the first win, and I hope it will give everyone the necessary confidence. We’re working hard to become a good team. This is the EuroLeague; every night, we face the best teams in Europe, and we will be punished for every mistake. Today, we were very good for most of the game, and we deserved this victory,” Luca Banchi stated.
A EuroLeague journalist asked the Italian coach if he is satisfied with how the team is functioning in the early part of the season and if it resembles the system he envisions. In response, Banchi asked, “Do you know when I arrived?” After her affirmative answer, Virtus’ coach commented, “I’ve said enough,” and then headed to the locker room.
The captain of the Bologna team, Tornike Shengelia, also commented on his team’s victory.
“It’s always tough to play against Monaco at home. I’m proud of my team. A significant test for us, especially after our defeat against Zalgiris in the previous round at home. Our goal was not to make the same mistakes and to continuously play well in offense and maintain solid defense, which we did,” said the 32-year-old Georgian.
Virtus surprised many with their victory in the principality, but a 24-point win seemed like an unreal outcome before the game.
“They can come back at any moment, so we had to increase our lead throughout the whole game, and we didn’t relax,” Shengelia concluded.