Olympique Lyonnais coach Gérard Houllier says his side needed to be at the peak of their powers to overcome a spirited FC Dynamo Kyiv side and secure progress to the UEFA Champions League last 16 with four wins from four Group E fixtures. His opposite number, Anatoli Demianenko, described the experience as a learning curve as they focus on salvaging a UEFA Cup berth while teenage Lyon goalscorer Karim Benzema attributed his match-winning strike to a resurgence in confidence.

Gérard Houllier, Lyon coach
Today we needed to be at our best to win the match. The first half was astonishing for us, we could have scored two more. At the end of the match we had more problems and had to fight off Dynamo. They confirmed what I thought of them; they are a very dynamic team, very fast in attack and technically remarkable. It was difficult for us defensively to stop them in attack. I'm happy to qualify as that was the goal at the start of the campaign. The difference from last year is that nobody has scored against us yet.

Anatoli Demianenko, Dynamo coach
We have learnt a lot tonight and have shown dignity. During the first half our players were too nervous but in the second we played to the level I expect. Lyon are one of the best teams in Europe and we have played a very good game. We will continue to fight in the group. I hope Lyon go as far as possible because it was a very nice experience to play against that team.

Karim Benzema, Lyon goalscorer
Right now I'm very confident, more than I was last year. You can see it in the way I scored this important goal. The problem is I could have scored more which shows I still have to work on my skills. It was a great pleasure to score. But it's also the outcome of a relentless team work. We could have scored three or four times tonight.