City’s owner revelled in the Tigers’ win at Wembley
Hull City owner Acun Ilicali celebrates promotion with David Akintola and the Tigers’ players at Wembley(Image: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Acun Ilicali heralded Hull City’s 1-0 win over Middlesbrough, which earned promotion to the Premier League after a 10-year absence.
Oli McBurnie’s 95th-minute goal sparked wild celebrations in the blistering heat, as City overcame the odds to beat Boro and return to the top flight after a decade away.
A war of attrition for long periods, City came close to scoring in the first half when McBurnie hit the bar, but the stars alligned in added time when he turned in from close range after Sol Brynn had flapped at Yu Hirakawa’s cross.
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“It’s the best day of my life,” Ilicali told Hull Live. “It means everything to me, to all these beautiful people in Hull, we deserved it. We believed it, and for me, from the first minute, Hull was my second home and the love they showed to me, our fans, what can I say more. They never left me feeling down, always up, up.
“It was the worst time we had, as you remember from last summer. They were still motivating me. Their motivation, I was so motivated, and now we go to the Premier League. I hope they’re motivated again, and maybe we can go for the upper places in the Premier League.
“Maybe the goal that changed our lives, right? I mean, this is the moment, sometimes the critical moment. For the last 10 days, we said this game is a game of moments, but don’t forget, they (Boro) didn’t have McBurnie. We had McBurnie, so I can say that having McBurnie in this final, with two legs alive, was the key, I think. He did it, and you know he said to me, ‘I told you, boss, I told you.’
“All the players are our heroes.”
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