Koeman salutes Miccoli magic

SL Benfica coach Ronald Koeman expressed his delight and relief at securing his first competitve victory since taking charge in the summer, as the outstanding Italian striker Fabrizio Miccoli scored an added-time header to snatch a 1-0 win over LOSC Lille Métropole in UEFA Champions League Group D at Estádio da Luz. The late loss was heartbreaking for a well-organised Lille whose coach Claude Puel was understandably upset at the manner in which his side had been defeated but hoped they could learn from their mistakes.

Ronald Koeman, Benfica coach
We played well, we had good spirit and deserved to win. In the first half we created many chances, but Lille were also dangerous on the counterattack. The team fought hard and wanted victory. We scored a fantastic goal that came from a great cross and had an even greater finish by Miccoli. That proved that he's a very good player and a goalscorer. We did everything to win and in the closing stages we risked everything, putting [substitute] Mantorras on as a centre forward, so the whole team deserved the victory. This win will give us the calmness we need for the forthcoming matches. This is the path that we need to follow and this win gave us the confidence we require.

Claude Puel, Lille coach
I'm very disappointed with this result, especially losing the game in injury time. My players gave all they could but they weren't compensated for their efforts. They worked well, but we made some mistakes that allowed Benfica to work scoring chances. Benfica stuck to their gameplan, fought for a good result and were happy to score so late in the game. Lille had some chances too, but we failed to score. We missed our chances and although we were well organised we made some mistakes that caused our defeat. Now we have to learn from them to continue in this competition.