Kvist and Jørgensen on FCK v Ajax

Unbeaten at home in Europe this season and very miserly in defence, Ståle Solbakken's København have cause for optimism as they meet Ajax in the round of 16.

On FCK eliminating Ajax in the third qualifying round to reach the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League group stage ...

William Kvist: I was a young player back then and I got my first game in Europe – coming on [as a substitute in the first leg], and starting the second game. Of course it was a big result: it was the first time for us, qualifying for the Champions League.

Mathias Jørgensen: I was actually watching on TV; it was one year before I came here. I think everybody in Denmark was watching but nobody thought they had a chance. They lost at home [1-2]. But with a little bit of luck and an own goal [FCK won 2-0]. They called it the 'Miracle of Amsterdam' and it certainly was.

Kvist: I don't think we had the ball very much, but we won. I couldn't sleep the whole night because it was such a big thing and thoughts were racing around my head. So it was nice.

On FCK's resilience and superb unbeaten home run this season ...

Jørgensen: I don't feel we're that far off Ajax's level; we play a very different brand of football, which is more suited to European, modern-day football. I think this will give us an advantage in some areas of play.

Kvist: I think our strikers run the most in the whole of Europe, well almost. It's always been a foundation for us, that collective tightness and structure. I also think it's kind of a Danish thing, because we are a small country and we are also a small club compared with a lot of other clubs, so we need to be eleven men really going for it defensively and offensively to be competitive. Everybody knows what to do, and we have some good individual players, but the individual players can shine because they are in such a good system.

On coming good at FCK ...

Mathias Jørgensen after reaching the last 16©UEFA.com

Kvist: I've been at this club all my life, except for four years abroad [with Stuttgart, Fulham and Wigan], and that just develops you as a human, but of course also as a player. Now I also know more about the German philosophy and also the English mentality, playing style and so on. It gives me variety in my own play.

I've also had some really big ups and really big downs, and if you're good at dealing with them, you can learn so much from it.

Now I'm just more stable in my performances and can give more to the team. I think also, as a young player – I was 25 or 26 when I went – you're more focused on yourself, and now I'm more focused on the team. When you grow older – I'm retiring in a couple of years – you get a broader perspective on things.

Jørgensen: I don't think I have anything to prove, especially since the European campaign I've been part of this season. Yes, of course, mistakes were made, from my side as well, [meaning] I didn't feel I had the proper chance to succeed at PSV Eindhoven, but that said, I did learn a lot of things.

The disappointment and the adversity have made me that much more hungry to succeed. That's why I got to where I am right now, playing at the level I am, which is getting a lot of recognition both domestically and internationally.