Francesco Farioli looks back on his official debut as Ajax coach with a moderately satisfied feeling. The coach is happy with the victory over FK Vojvodina (1-0) in the second preliminary round of the Europa League, but the Italian still sees enough room for improvement in his team.

Ajax started the new season with a narrow victory. The team of new coach Farioli did not perform convincingly at home against Vojvodina. Thanks to a late header by substitute Branco van den Boomen, they did win. The return in Serbia is on Thursday 1 August.

“I am happy with the result, but we have a lot to do,” said the NOS during the press conference from Farioli's mouth. “The result is fair, we deserved the victory. Maybe we could have scored an extra goal, but on the other hand we were also lucky that we didn't concede a goal.”

“What we need to improve is our way of pressing, today we were not at our best in that respect. But that is also due to the quality and the organization of Vojvodina, so I have to give them a big compliment.”

Furthermore, Farioli is very pleased with the intensity that his team brought to the pitch on Thursday. “My players went into the duels with a lot of energy and passion. They took control of the match. The level of intensity is non-negotiable for me and that was good today.”

“The atmosphere in the stadium was also really fantastic. I want to thank the supporters, they pushed us and gave us a lot of help. That creates a bond between the players and the public.”

Finally, Farioli is also very happy that Van den Boomen was the one who scored the winning goal. “Because of his hard work in preparation, but also for his willingness to be of service to the team.”

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