Celtic FC manager Gordon Strachan was full of praise for his players after a fine Shunsuke Nakamura free-kick and last-gasp Artur Boruc penalty save from Louis Saha saw his side defeat Manchester United FC 1-0 and ensure qualification from the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time. Sir Alex Ferguson, meanwhile, was left to ponder missed opportunities as his side still need a point at home to SL Benfica.

Gordon Strachan, Celtic manager
It was incredible to participate and just be involved in a night like this. Our first half wasn't great, but we changed the shape at half-time and that helped. In Shunsuke Nakamura, we have a player who is among the best in the world from set-pieces and in Artur Boruc, we have a goalkeeper who is capable of making such an incredible save from a penalty. At this level, you need guys who can deliver under immense pressure and we had that tonight. It was a priceless experience. Importantly, we didn't give Manchester United too many clear-cut chances. I didn't realise that this result sealed our qualification until 15 minutes after the final whistle. To be perfectly honest, I'm still not sure that I believe it. But, once again, I must credit the players. They came under immense pressure at times from a top side and we came through.

Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager
You must score goals to win matches and we didn't do that. We created some great opportunities and were strong in the first half. And for the most part, produced a controlled performance, but our finishing was disappointing. Celtic are a difficult team to play against at home, it's not easy to come here and control the play. They changed their system in the second half and it took us a while to adapt, which cost us. We always do things the hard way and we'll have to do it again, but that's football. The main thing now is that we get the point against Benfica on Matchday 6. Although, as always, we'll try and win that one.