The reactions of George Ilenikhena and Aladji Bamba after facing AJA

Very satisfied with having managed to win by the skin of their teeth against a good Auxerre team (1-2), the providential striker and the young midfielder trained at the Academy shared their feelings in the mixed zone.

They are (very) young, but have a lot of talent! One gave his partners the victory in added time against AJ Auxerre (1-2), while the other celebrated his first start in the top flight on the occasion of this 4th matchday of the Ligue 1 McDonald’s season. In the wake of AS Monaco’s win in Burgundy, George Ilenikhena and Aladji Bamba spoke to the media. 🎙️

Good evening, George. How do you feel after this victory?

It’s an important victory that we all fought for together, fighting from start to finish. We’re going back to Monaco with three points, so we’re very happy.

Did you ever think the game was getting out of hand?

No, never. We believed in ourselves until the end, we didn’t give up, and in the end, we managed to pull off this victory. However, it’s true that we faced a very good Auxerre team, who fought hard, so it was a really good match. We give our all every day in training so we don’t give up on the big day.

I felt a lot of emotion and pride, because I work every day to experience moments like this! So I’ll try to keep this momentum going and continue to help the team.

George IlenikhenaOn his goal

It was important to keep up the pace in the league…

Of course, this win was crucial, because we know there are still a lot of games to play in the coming weeks. And we’ll do what’s necessary to get three points every time.

Is it exciting to be entering this period with the Champions League?

(He smiles) Obviously, it’s a very exciting competition! For me, as a young player, getting a taste of the Champions League is incredible.

How did you feel about your goal?

A lot of emotion and pride, because I work every day to experience moments like this! So I’ll try to keep this momentum going and continue to help the team.

Good evening, Aladji. How do you handle your first start in such a context?

It was difficult, honestly, even with ten players against eleven. But personally, I’m very happy to have been honored by this first start, especially with the victory at the end, so I’m very satisfied. We knew it was difficult to come and play here, with a crowd cheering for us, but we managed to win, so that’s the most important thing.

I’m trying to get some playing time. I’m working every day in training for that, and I hope it continues. There’s a lot of competition, but I get a lot of advice.

What do you learn from a match like this?

It comes down to details, because even with a man down, they managed to come back to level the match at one goal each. In any case, we’re happy to take the three points today, and for my part, I’m trying to get some playing time. I work every day in training for that, and I hope it continues. There’s a lot of competition, but I’m getting a lot of advice.

Did you think victory might slip away?

After the equalizer, we tried to push to take advantage of the numerical advantage, and finally George (Ilenikhena) gave us the victory by the skin of our teeth. We believed in a results until the end, and it worked.

Not specifically, to be honest. I’ll take whatever I can get, even if it’s 5 or 10 minutes. I just want to gain experience!