UEFA.com works better on other browsers
For the best possible experience, we recommend using Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Puel pride after 'logical' victory

LOSC Lille Métropole coach Claude Puel said his side were deserving winnners after watching them defeat Manchester United FC at the Stade de France.

LOSC Lille Métropole coach Claude Puel said his side were deserving winnners after watching them claim the first win of their UEFA Champion League campaign against Manchester United FC. Milenko Ačimovič scored the game's only goal on 38 minutes, latching on to Grégory Tafforeau's through-ball and side-footing into the roof of the net. The victory sees them rise above United into second place in Group D.

Claude Puel, Lille coach
We played a very good match in terms of both spirit and quality, and so the victory was a logical result. All our players played the game everybody was waiting for. We saw that Ačimovič is one of the best players in the country. When he plays like this, not only in attack but also defensively, he is very important for us. We are in a good position but we still have to get a result against Villarreal [CF] and [SL] Benfica. Everything is now possible in the group.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United manager
I don't think we played well enough to win the game. It was very close, and in these kind of games the team that scores first normally goes on to win. We put in a lot of effort, but my players have got to do more than that to win the game. The pitch at the Stade de France was difficult to get used to, and Lille are a very aggressive, physical side. They were always hassling us, so they are a very hard team to beat.

Matthieu Chalmé, Lille defender
We still don't realise what we have done tonight. I think we will need a few days for it to sink in. It would be stupid to stop here, the most important thing is to get out of the group and stay in the competition. We need another big performance away to Villarreal and especially at home against Benfica. All our fans were waiting for this moment, and we have achieved something great in the history of the club. But we need to keep working, because to beat Manchester United and still go out of the competition would be very sad.

Selected for you