It was another decisive display! A week after the Rouge et Blanc claimed a 3-2 win in Poland, the team confirmed their dominance back home, sealing qualification with a convincing result. Coulibaly first set up Paris Brunner before finding the net himself only minutes later. In the mixed zone, he reflected on the match.
Mamadou, how do you assess this solid team victory?
We delivered a very strong performance tonight! We knew it was going to be a tough game because in the first leg there was only one goal between us. But we did the job right from the start, hurt them early, and managed to score twice in quick succession. Unfortunately, we conceded one at the end… The aim was to keep a clean sheet, but the most important thing is qualification.
We saw you speaking with Filipe Luís at the start of the match. Did he give you any specific instructions?
Yes! He told me we had identified their weakness and that we needed to keep pressing it to move forward and cause them problems. I think after that I tried to pass the message on to the whole team. Soon after, I scored, and that allowed us to widen the gap.
Speaking of your goal, can you describe it for us?
I think it all started from a corner. The ball was cleared and came back to Flávio (Nazinho), who laid it off to me. Then Eric (Dier) made a run behind me and told me to hold it. I saw the defender anticipating, so I decided to shoot — and it went in. In any case, it’s always a pleasure to score at the Stade Louis-II!
You’re now playing as a winger. Do you feel you’ve improved in any particular area?
Yes, as you know it’s a new role for me. Of course, there are things to improve, but there’s always something positive in that. I need to keep working, listening to instructions, and becoming even more effective in the upcoming matches. I’d say I’ve improved in making runs in behind and also playing with my back to goal. As for what I still need to work on? Like any winger, I need to keep improving in one-on-one situations and my ability to take on defenders.
The draw for the Conference League group stage takes place tomorrow. How important is this competition for the Club?
We hope to go far! Like in any competition, we play to win, but I think the Club’s objective is to go as far as possible. Strasbourg’s run in the Conference League last season? Of course, it gives you ideas because they also managed to maintain a high level in Ligue 1. Unfortunately, they couldn’t sustain it at the end, but throughout the Conference League campaign they were strong and went very far.
