Saturday 9 May 2015 08:01, UK
Aitor Karanka hailed Middlesbrough's last-gasp win over Brentford in the Championship play-off semi-final first leg as "amazing".
Boro will take a 2-1 lead to the Riverside on Friday after Fulham loanee Fernando Amorebieta's 94th-minute deflected effort at Griffin Park, just 20 minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Karanka insists putting the defender in the penalty area for a late corner was a risk that paid off, and hopes his side play with the same intensity for the second leg.
"It is an amazing win, and the lads deserve it," Karanka told Sky Sports. "Today I decided to send Fernando on because everybody thought a draw would be good but again I tried to take another risk and today was good.
"This league is amazing, I have enjoyed from my first day here. Everybody had told me it was amazing.
"For me it was a pleasure, and I'm proud to play these sorts of games. I'm learning every single second in this league and country. The most important thing is that we won the game."
Brentford boss Mark Warburton, who is due to leave the club at the end of the season, said he saw enough in his side to be in with a good chance in the return leg.
The Bees equalised through Andre Gray in the second half after Jelle Vossen's headed opener for Middlesbrough.
Warburton told Sky Sports: "It's unfortunate, but we did enough in the second half to say we'll go there and have a go.
"We moved the ball well, created lots of chances, we need to be more clinical in front of goal obviously, but recognise that we will create chances up there as well.
"Our job there is go there and win the game, as simple as that. Absolutely [in the tie], we're in good shape and it's 2-1 at half-time."
Watch the second leg from the Riverside on Friday, live from 7.30pm on Sky Sports 1 HD.
