Luciano Spalletti felt his AS Roma team were flattered by the four-goal victory margin at the Stadio Olimpico as Rodrigo Taddei, Francesco Totti, Daniele De Rossi and David Pizarro all struck in the final 23 minutes to see off FC Shakhtar Donetsk in Group D. The Roma coach reflected on a tough game but believed his side were well worth their win overall, while his Shakhtar counterpart Mircea Lucescu was left cursing his luck.

Luciano Spalletti, Roma coach
It was a difficult game because they are a very strong side who keep possession well. We suffered a lot in the first half but also showed our maturity because we understood that we had to fight hard if we wanted to win this game and we did it. However, it is difficult to comment on a 4-0 win like tonight's because the result is too severe for Shakhtar, even though I think our victory was well deserved. Second-half substitute Pizarro made a great contribution and changed the tempo of the whole match.

Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar coach
The result is unfair as we were superior to Roma for 60 minutes. We could have scored three goals in the first half, while Roma had no chances. Unfortunately, once again, we lacked the experience that is necessary at this level. Totti's goal was incredible, he is a great player but we limited him until he scored. Then he played an amazing game and managed to do everything he wanted to in the last half an hour.

David Pizarro, Roma
I'm very happy because I really needed a performance like this. The coach and my team-mates were nice to me despite me making a mistake in reacting badly when I was replaced against [AS] Livorno [Calcio on Sunday]. I hope I repaid them with my performance. We have to keep our feet firmly on the ground even if we put on a great show of strength tonight.

Cristian Chivu, Roma
We were lucky to score four goals, but we were also mature and clinical. Brandão had two great chances in the first half, but that's football; the team that makes fewer mistakes wins. Everything became easier for us when Pizarro came on in the second half. He deserves all the credit. Now we have to continue playing like we did tonight and try to improve game after game.