Fernandinho maintains belief
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Article summary
After "determination, preparation and concentration" helped defeat AS Roma, Fernandinho believes more of the same could see FC Shakhtar Donetsk into the last 16.
Article body
Fernandinho believes FC Shakhtar Donetsk have an "excellent chance" to reach the knockout stage after the Brazilian played a lead role in last night's UEFA Champions League victory against AS Roma.
Stellar performance
The 21-year-old sparkled in midfield for the Ukrainian side, upstaging Francesco Totti as the most creative player on the field in a 1-0 win for the home team. Shakhtar now need a repeat performance from Fernandinho on Matchday 6 when they travel to Olympiacos CFP needing maximum points - coupled with three points for Group D winners Valencia CF in Rome - to seal what had seemed an unlikely passage to the last 16 after tallying just a point from their opening three outings.
Team effort
"I'm very happy with my performance, and with the win," Fernandinho told uefa.com. "Every player in the team contributed and that is exactly why we won. The key to victory was in good determination, good preparation and total concentration. We played with patience, making very few mistakes, and that's what we lacked in previous matches. Now the problem is solved we're in the chase for second place. We have an excellent chance, even though it is not in our own hands."