Emotional Van den Brom hails Twente belief after Qarabag comeback

FC Twente coach John van den Brom praised his side’s belief and execution after a dramatic 4-1 extra-time victory away to Qarabag secured Conference League qualification. Twente had lost the first leg 1-0 in Enschede and then fell behind again after 59 minutes in Baku, leaving their European campaign in serious danger.

The turnaround began when Wout Weghorst headed the ball into Marko Pjaca’s path for the substitute to equalise in the 79th minute. Max Bruns struck in stoppage time to force extra time before Weghorst put Twente ahead in the tie. Qarabag were later reduced to ten men, and Younes Taha completed the scoring in the 114th minute.

Van den Brom said Twente’s prepared tactical plan had worked after the setback of conceding. Speaking to the club’s channels, he described the win as deserved against a strong opponent and took particular satisfaction from seeing his team play dominantly away from home on a difficult pitch.

The coach also revealed that a pre-match video produced by Twente’s media department had left him emotional. The film revisited the club’s previous European experiences and was intended to underline the importance of their final opportunity to qualify. “You get goosebumps, you get tears,” Van den Brom told ESPN, as reported by FCUpdate. He said the players had responded by fighting until the final second, while calling the performance a collective achievement for the entire club.