Schaaf savours 'outstanding night'

Thomas Schaaf praised his players' professionalism as Werder Bremen recorded a handsome win against Panathanaikos FC before news of a late FC Barcelona victory against Udinese Calcio capped an amazing night at the Weserstadion. Bremen's 5-1 victory coupled with the result in Udine propelled the German side from the foot of UEFA Champions League Group C into the second qualifying spot, and sent Panathinaikos tumbling from European competition. A Johan Micoud penalty set the tempo, before the French playmaker set about unpicking the visitors' defence, allowing Nelson Valdez to add two more before Miroslav Klose and Torsten Frings completed the scoring.

Thomas Schaaf, Bremen coach
My players can be very proud of themselves. They have performed excellently tonight and they have showed good displays in every group match this season. Tonight, our early opener let us play with more self-confidence. We did not make many mistakes, we played strongly in defence and we were able to pressure Panathinaikos throughout the match. I am really very satisfied. But I expected my team to be that strong. They worked hard for their mission to win clearly and they believed in themselves. This match was an outstanding one and we proved that we can get good results in big games. I realised that we would reach the next round no earlier than when the crowd started to cheer in the final minutes.

Alberto Malesani, Panathiniakos coach
I am sorry for all our fans and for everybody related to our club. We have made five tragic mistakes that caused the five goals against us. It is always very hard for a team if you concede a goal in the first minutes. I am just very sorry for everybody. This loss has nothing to do with our system. We could beat Werder with the same system in Athens. I want to say again that the tragic mistakes were our problem today. This always happens when we play on the road. Unfortunately, I cannot change this situation. Panathinaikos is a great club but we have a difficult way to go. I am the coach and I am responsible for our poor matches on the road. But I really hope that our fans will continue to support us.

Torsten Frings, Bremen goalscorer
Thanks a lot to Barcelona. We really hoped that they would win because they had been the best team in our group. We have completed our mission and we are looking forward with joy to the next round.

Klaus Allofs, Bremen general manager
We are really happy for the additional income that we can count on regarding the next round. But the team's success is far more important. I am convinced that we will do a better job in the Round of 16 this season compared to the last campaign. I hope that we will not have to play Olympique Lyonnais right away. We are hungry to face them later this season.