Real Betis defeated Lille 3-2 in their opening group stage match of the Champions League, and Fornals was interviewed in the mixed zone after the game.

Facing so many strong opponents, it must be important to get points here, or even win the match, right?

Yes, we all know how difficult this is. All the teams here qualified for the Champions League through their performances, and so did we, so we have to be ready to compete against any opponent. Of course, we're all very happy right now. Many players in the team, like myself, have never played in the Champions League before; and some players haven't competed in this competition for a long time. I think the team's anticipation and excitement for the Champions League was very clear in tonight's match.

People have always said that a good start is very important, right? So people can relax a bit and gradually understand what this competition will be like. Now that you've done it, what's next?

Next is to keep competing. We have another very important match on Monday against an opponent that has competed with us for a Champions League spot or other European competitions over the past few years. So we need to maintain this good momentum, keep competing, and keep everyone engaged. I think this is also one of the things we've done well in the early part of the season.

In this match, you were trailing twice. People often talk about the team's resilience and mental strength. There have been moments like this in the season, for example, in the match in Madrid, you faced difficulties but ultimately came back and kept fighting until the end, right?

Actually, we still have some defensive issues, especially in set pieces, that we need to improve. However, on the other hand, we're also quite dangerous in attacking set pieces. So yes, I think this match showed the team's resilience and also demonstrated how badly we all wanted to play a great match tonight.

The next Champions League match is about a month away, and it will be at home. I imagine you must be looking forward to it, right? Have you started counting down the days until that moment?

I think everyone, including the fans, is looking forward to a Champions League night at home. But as you said, there's still a month until that match. What will really determine whether we can continue competing in the Champions League or other European competitions next year is the domestic league.

So if we keep thinking about the Champions League for the next month, that would be a mistake for us. As I just said, what's most important now is to think about Villarreal and then try to get three more points.

You've said before that your dream was to play in the Champions League. Today, when you heard the Champions League anthem and actually stepped onto the pitch, how did you feel?

It was truly wonderful. As I just said, this has been my dream since I was a kid. I never had the chance to hear this anthem as a player competing before, so I'm very happy to actually experience all of this tonight.

Having a coach like Pellegrini, who has experienced the Champions League many times, on the bench—is that important for the team?

Of course it's important. Not only because he's participated in the Champions League many times, but also because he has a lot of experience and knows exactly how to manage the entire team. He can keep us all calm, tell us what we should do, and how to compete.

Your next two Champions League opponents are Porto and Feyenoord, both of which have a similar style of play to Lille, and both matches will be at home. Do you think Real Betis's prospects in this competition will largely depend on these two matches?

It depends on all the matches. There are a total of eight matches in this group stage, and each one is very important. However, I think we earned our place in the Champions League through our performance last season, and that in itself is already a reward. As I just said, there's still quite a bit of time before the match against Porto, so right now our top priority is Villarreal.

Today you could see the team put in a lot of effort on the pitch, and everyone was very committed. As you just mentioned, the team fell behind twice but came back both times. You also contributed, with a very accurate pass that helped Bartra score with a header. What does this victory mean to the dressing room?

It means pure joy. At the same time, I think it also made us realize that we can compete in the Champions League. We got three points and proved that this team can compete against any opponent. So I think it was truly a wonderful night.

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