Marco Rose hails 'brilliant' Bournemouth after historic Europa League victory over Real Sociedad

The Cherries made history with a memorable win in their first-ever major European game thanks to early goals from Justin Kluivert and Rayan inside 20 minutes. Bournemouth became the 38th English side to play in major European competition, with six of the nine this century winning their opening match. The victory also ended the Basque side's five-game unbeaten home run in Europe, handing them their first home loss since October 2024.

The manager shared his pride in the squad's determination during a post-match interview with TNT Sports. Praising his team's brave display before the break, he said: "That's Bournemouth football."

Explaining their aggressive tactics and how they had to dig deep later on, he added: "We want to be active and defend forward. We want to create chances. We had a header to be 3-0 up. The game is 90 minutes, and the first half was really brilliant."

Reflecting further on the performance, he noted: "It was very intense and tough. Brilliant first half in everything. The way we won balls and the possession high up. In the second half, we needed to suffer because we were not so sharp. We need to talk about the second half."

The victory sparked emotional celebrations among the thousands of away supporters who travelled to Spain for the historic night. Thanking the travelling fans in the stands, the manager added: "It's a brilliant win in our first European game. It's brilliant for the club and the 2000 fans from Bournemouth."

This positive result marked his second win in charge across all competitions, following a comfortable 4-0 victory over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup.

A demanding run of Premier League fixtures now awaits the Cherries, with games against Liverpool and Chelsea on either side of the international break. Turning leads into victories will be vital after letting winning positions slip in earlier matches this season. Once that tough domestic stretch is done, the club will host their first-ever European match at the Vitality Stadium against Austrian side Sturm Graz.