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Dortmund scalp gives Olympiacos belief

Scoring against Borussia Dortmund brought joy to Rafik Djebbour and José Holebas for different reasons as the Olympiacos FC duo, and other players from both sides, spoke to UEFA.com.

Dortmund scalp gives Olympiacos belief
Dortmund scalp gives Olympiacos belief ©UEFA.com

Rafik Djebbour basked in the glory of scoring his first UEFA Champions League goal as Olympiacos FC defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-1 to get off the mark in Group F. Fellow scorer José Holebas was similarly thrilled to find the net against his countrymen, while it was missed opportunities that irked visiting defenders Neven Subotić and Marcel Schmelzer.

Rafik Djebbour, Olympiacos forward
It was like a cup final for us because we wanted to get the three points to stay in the competition and we managed to do that. Now we have renewed hope and we'll have to see if we can continue this in the next game in Germany. It is a very nice feeling to score at home in front of our fans; it really was an electric atmosphere tonight and it's great to be able to score in such a game. I'm very proud to score my first goal in the Champions League.

Every game is different. You start with different tactics and those can often change during the game as we saw Dortmund do tonight, switching players from different positions to try and get back into it. The important thing for us is that the coach has confidence in us and our game plan and in turn this helps us to play more confidently.

Ariel Ibagaza, Olympiacos midfielder
We felt the pressure coming into the game as we knew it was a match we had to win to keep our chances of qualification from the group stage alive. It was a big opportunity and we managed to get our first points, which is very important as it gives us hope. We have a very important game next against Dortmund in Germany and need a positive result from that match if we want to progress.

José Holebas, Olympiacos defender
It was a match both teams could have won because it was a very close contest. They deserved the equaliser but we were totally focused and in the end we did everything we could to win. We definitely have a chance to get a result in Germany. I would like to dedicate my goal to all my friends who are fans of Dortmund. I don't score many goals but I'll continue to look for the opportunities to get forward and score when I can.

Neven Subotić, Dortmund defender
We have no choice but to fight. For most of us this is our first time playing in the Champions League and we want to make the best of it. The campaign has not started the way we wanted it to. Only one point from three games is not what we deserve, but here we stand and we have no choice but to learn from our mistakes and try to get results in the next two games.

We started well but what was missing was the first goal. When you go a goal down it puts you in a tough position and you have to take a few more risks. This happened twice tonight. Sometimes you get the break and sometimes you don't. We didn't make the best of it after we drew level and it would have been a different game if we had scored first after the opening half-hour. We pressed a lot and had some good chances but we just couldn't score, so we were also unlucky.

Marcel Schmelzer, Dortmund defender
We missed five good opportunities at the beginning. We were not at our best but showed we can fight for qualification. If we remain unbeaten in the remaining games then this will give us a chance; two wins and a draw will help us qualify for the next phase.

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