Steaua celebrate despite defeat
Thursday, December 2, 2004
Article summary
Group B reaction: FC Steaua Bucuresti qualified for the last 32 despite a 1-0 defeat in a very tight pool.
Article body
Despite a 1-0 defeat at Athletic Club Bilbao, FC Steaua Bucuresti were able to celebrate their passage to the last 32 thanks to a 1-1 draw in the night's other Group B game between Besiktas JK and R. Standard de Liège. All four other clubs can still qualify going into their final matches.
For a Romanian side, it is a great achievement to reach these heights in the UEFA Cup and for that I can feel satisfied with everything that happened tonight. It was an attractive game and we were a bit tentative at first but grew in confidence and managed to create some chances. Both goalkeepers were tremendous and played a big part in the final score. When I see my team playing with that spirit then it's very difficult for me to leave with a sour taste in my mouth. We faced a strong team tonight. Steaua coach Walter Zenga
We would have liked to have won by a greater margin but in our way was a great side that put in a display typical of their history. A second goal looked more likely to happen than an equaliser and I thought we might have opened the scoring sooner. I felt that we were the superior side but then in the final 15 minutes Steaua created chances of their own. Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde
After going ahead 1-0 we missed a lot of opportunities. We were more cautious in the second half, Standard had one or two chances and they scored from one. Until the final ten minutes it looked like we were going through. Nevertheless, we still have a chance to advance and we'll battle on until the end. We should not blame [goalkeeper] Ramazan Kursunlu for the draw. Besiktas coach Vicente Del Bosque
We have become the first team to take an away point in the group. We had four clear chances to score but failed to do so. As a result we conceded the goal. A 1-0 deficit was not a fair reflection of the first half. Besiktas were the better side defensively and did not take many risks. We kept our belief and competed until the last breath and scored the goal we deserved. Standard coach Dominique D'Onofrio
