With the UEFA Champions League group stage commencing on Tuesday and Wednesday, uefa.com tracks how the competition's 32 contenders fared in their weekend matches and what the men in charge had to say.
Liverpool victorious
French representatives FC Girondins de Bordeuax and Olympique de Marseille went head to head at the Stade Chaban-Delmas where there was nothing to separate the teams as Bakari Koné's strike for Erik Gerets's side was cancelled out by Marouane Chamakh. English heavyweights Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC also met, with the Merseyside club defeating their north-west rivals and the defending European champions for the first time in the Premier League since 2004 thanks to Ryan Babel's late strike. Elsewhere, FC Barcelona were held at home, meaning they have yet to register a victory in their domestic league. AS Roma are in the same situation following a 3-1 loss at US Città di Palermo on Saturday. Elsewhere, FC BATE Borisov, CFR 1907 Cluj, Anorthosis Famagusta FC and FC Zenit St. Petersburg all won ahead of their group stage debuts.
| Group A | Manchester City FC 1-3 Chelsea FC
(Robinho 13; Carvalho 16, Lampard 53, Anelka 59)
Luiz Felipe Scolari: "Congratulations to my players; they went 1-0 down and they changed the result. They played very well. We had five or six good opportunities to score and scored three goals. The players fought and tried to win the game until the last minute. We had the same possession as City but we had more quality in the final third of the pitch. My team improves every day. We've had many problems but they try to do their best and for a coach that's very important." | FC Girondins de Bordeaux 1-1 Olympique de Marseille
(Chamakh 25; Koné 3)
Yoan Gourcuff, Bordeaux midfielder: "For the first time this season we were not the better side on the pitch and we were lucky to get a draw. They were well organised. We ran twice as much as them but they had the possession. They missed several opportunities in the first half. Chelsea will be the favourites against us and we'll need to be strong as a team but first of all we have to enjoy that game." | US Città di Palermo3-1 AS Roma
(Miccoli 20, 56, Cavani 73; Baptista 8)
Luciano Spalletti: "We played below our usual standards. Sometimes our level of concentration was low both in attack and in defence. We created many chances to score, as many as Palermo, but they were more clinical than us. It's good to play immediately in the UEFA Champions League as we want to forget about this game as quickly as possible." | CF Gloria 1922 Bistrita 1-2 CFR 1907 Cluj
(Borbély 24; Didi 40, Panin 69)
Maurizio Trombetta: "I think that it was a well-deserved victory, but we should not have struggled so much in the last few minutes. We should have scored another goal by then and not have been trembling." |
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| Group B | Panathinaikos FC 3-0 Panthrakikos FC
(Souza 14, Goumas 35, Ivanschitz 77)
Henk ten Cate: "I won't lose much sleep about our defensive errors. The result was very positive for us because in recent years Panathinaikos have let many points slip away in the league prior to European matches. The result is what counts. We made several mistakes tonight, but on Tuesday we will be better and have a different lineup. The match against Inter will be completely different. Several players were thinking about it tonight, but it's only natural." | FC Internazionale Milano 2-1 Calcio Catania
(Quaresma 43, Terlizzi og 48; Plasmati 42)
José Mourinho: "To win the Scudetto you need to win some games 4-0 and some others at a stretch like we did today. We played well in the first half creating a few chances to score, but they took the lead. Then we responded and scored immediately but [Sulley] Muntari's sending off made everything more complicated for us. In the second half we showed great hunger for success and great organisation in defence earning three important points." | Werder Bremen 3-0 FC Energie Cottbus
(Diego 75, Frings 80, Sanogo 83)
Thomas Schaaf: "It was the game we expected and in the end I am very pleased. We always sought the ball and never lost faith. Altogether we can say that this win is a step in the right direction." | Doxa Katokopia FC0-1 Anorthosis Famagusta FC
(Sosin 82)
Temuri Ketsbaia: "I believe it was a good game. Both sides created chances but we were the ones who put the ball in the net in the end and finished with the three points. Going into the game, we had a lot of players missing who had been away on international duty. Thankfully, those who stepped into their places did the job. We must now rest as best we can so we can be ready for the big game on Tuesday." |
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| Group C | FC Basel 1893 2-0FC Luzern
(Huggel 16, Chipperfield 84)
Christian Gross: "I am pleased that we managed to successfully finish the first quarter of the season. It is great that we have conceded so few goals so far. It was a good team effort with Jürgen Gjasula very active. On Tuesday, we will play a team that's capable of playing very good football and full of internationals. This will be very difficult. We will prepare meticulously and will have to capitalise on the few chances we get on Tuesday. We will be ready." | FC Illychivets Mariupil0-3 FC Shakhtar Donetsk
(Jadson 40, Ilsinho 70, Luiz Adriano 81)
Mircea Lucescu: "The result is very important for us before the start of the UEFA Champions League group stage against FC Basel. I hope our recent failures are behind us and that we can keep up this form." | FC Barcelona 1-1 Real Racing Club Santander
(Messi 71(p); Jonathan Pereira 77)
Josep Guardiola: "I don't have anything to apologise for because we were the better team. I'm very happy with the attitude of the players. The draw wasn't a good result but that's the only thing I feel bad about. The team played better than they did in the first game. We had good chances but I realise that all my arguments will lack impact because of the result so there is little more I can say." | Sporting Clube de Portugal
No game
Paulo Bento: "Of course we'll have respect for Barcelona, because of the quality of their players and the quality of their team. We know they're favourites to win the group. They will also be favourites for this match, just as they will be for any game in the group. But Sporting will play to win in Barcelona. You could say that not losing would be a good result, but Sporting don't play just to avoid defeat, whatever the stadium." |
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| Group D | PSV Eindhoven 1-0 Sparta Rotterdam
(Afellay 59)
Huub Stevens: "I noticed a certain lack of confidence. We were not as confident as against FC Utrecht or during the matches in pre season. I think this has to do with the fact that we lost a lot of players for ten days because of the international matches. Still we had 12 chances against two for them. We should have been more direct at certain moments but we still ended up with three points, and that is the most important thing." | Real Valladolid CF 2-1 Club Atlético de Madrid
(Vivar Dorado 5, Baraja (p) 29; Agüero 55)
Javier Aguirre: "We made two avoidable errors which led to two goals. We had more chances than they had but it just wasn't to be. We put ourselves under the obligation to go and win and I never thought we couldn't do it against ten men. We've taken a step backwards but we have to close the book on this in order to make a good start on Tuesday in what is a very attractive competition." | FC Girondins de Bordeaux 1-1 Olympique de Marseille
(Chamakh 25; Koné)
Erik Gerets: "My team played their best first half since I've been Marseille coach. I was delighted to see that. In the second half [Bordeaux coach] Laurent Blanc changed something. We were too strong. They came back in the second half but I feel like we did everything we could to win this game, except finish the job. If we want to be champions, we have to win such games." | Liverpool FC 2-1Manchester United FC
(Brown og 23, Babel 77; Tévez 3)
Rafael Benítez: "We can be really satisfied because we were losing against a very good team but we showed character and played very well in the second half, so this was very positive. I was really disappointed when they scored so early because I wanted a high tempo from the start. They were passing the ball and keeping possession, so we needed to change a lot of things. It was really important to have chances and to improve a lot in the second half. In the last two years, United were happy waiting and just playing on the counterattack until we made mistakes and today was more or less the same situation. We didn't make many mistakes today. We can always improve and do things better, but the team played well." |
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| Group E | Liverpool FC 2-1 Manchester United FC
(Brown og 23, Babel 77; Tévez 3)
Sir Alex Ferguson: "We can take nothing positive from this, we didn't have one performer on the pitch apart from possibly Rio Ferdinand – it was disappointing. Our defending was very poor for both Liverpool goals. You don't expect that from Manchester United. When we have a bad day we usually still get something from the game. Overall, they were the better team. Liverpool produced a performance of tackling, hassling and getting about us." | Villarreal CF 1-0 RC Deportivo La Coruña
(Cazorla 27)
Manuel Pellegrini: "We put in a very complete performance and created a lot of chances. A win was fair but the margin of victory should have been greater. Had it not been for us being too hasty with some of our moves, we would have scored more. The win has left me feeling very happy, though – we looked strong." | Motherwell FC 2-4 Celtic FC
(Sutton 55, Clarkson 57; Maloney 5, Samaras 9,42, McDonald 24)
Gordon Strachan: "I thought the football at times was exhilarating against a good Motherwell side. We've not done that to many teams for a long time and I thought the players' focus was excellent. Samaras' performance was near enough 10 out of 10. He was great in the air, on the ball, scored goals, and in the fourth goal we saw a goal you dream of as a football manager." | Aalborg BK 0-2 AGF Århus
(Poulsen 7, White 86)
Jeppe Curth, AaB forward: "I think we put OK pressure on AGF, and we should have scored at least two goals. However, they got their goals too easily, and we need to be more consistent if we want to have a chance in the Champions League." |
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| Group F | FC Farul Constanţa 1-4 FC Steaua Bucureşti
(Gošić 90; Semedo 30, Stancu 31, Kapetanos 90, Székely (p)90)
Marius Lăcătuş: "I am satisfied both with the result and with the way we played. Still, it's not acceptable that Farul, even with one man less, managed to come within range of our goal so many times. On the other hand, it was logical that despite being professionals, the players' minds were more on the match against Bayern München and that's why they relaxed a little bit. We know what kind of opponent Bayern are but we have players who can make the difference. Unfortunately, we have plenty of injured players but I am sure that those who will play will have the necessary commitment and attitude. We can play at the level required for this competition." | 1. FC Köln0-3 FC Bayern München
(Toni 53, 60, Podolski 90)
Jürgen Klinsmann: "I had to tell the players at half-time that they had to stay calm. They had to continue to play football. It is important for us to travel home with a win, as we are playing again on Wednesday in the Champions League. I was very happy about Lukas Podolski's goal. Lukas will make his way at our club." | Olympique Lyonnais 3-2OGC Nice
(Juninho 40 71, Benzema (p)90; Bamogo 3, Rémy 20)
Juninho Pernambucano, Lyon midfielder: "We were behind but we were the team who stayed calm during the game and, after the first goal, Nice were taken aback. We put in a lot of effort – the team showed maturity and resilience." | SSC Napoli 2-1 ACF Fiorentina
(Hamšík 48, Maggio 69; Mutu 40)
Cesare Prandelli: "We were in control of the game but unfortunately we were too naïve in defence when Napoli scored. I think we played well and we would have been upset with a draw, even more so with a defeat. However it's a lesson for us because we have to learn to close down games when we dominate, as we did in the first half." |
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| Group G | FC Porto
No game
Jesualdo Ferreira: "Istanbul is never an easy place to play football and Fenerbahçe have reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Nevertheless, regardless of the draw, our goal is the same as always. We want to get beyond the group stage and, with the work we are doing, it is certain we will keep improving over the next few weeks. We want to play well and win and our aim is to give our best against a club that have raised their expectations." | Hacettepe SK 2-1 Fenerbahçe SK
(Sahin 45, Arat (o) 60; Alex 20)
Luis Aragonés: "After we went 1-0 ahead, we failed to extend our lead. The opposition had a lot of counterattacks in the second half. Such results are natural in football. It would be wrong if I said we did not miss our injured players." | FC Olkom Melitopol0-5 FC Dynamo Kyiv
(Yarmolenko 8 71, Asatiani 14, Kravets 45, Shudryk og 62)
Oleh Luzhny, Dynamo assistant coach: "In the cup match we gave a chance to the players who have not featured in the first team for Dynamo or for their national sides. They took their chances and received an additional boost of confidence. The first-team players are currently concentrating on the fixture in the UEFA Champions League." | Blackburn Rovers FC 0-4 Arsenal FC
(Van Persie 8, Adebayor 45, 81(p), 90)
Arsène Wenger: "It was a good defensive performance – we scored four goals and you’d think it was all Arsenal but Blackburn played very well. We had to defend very well, especially from crosses. The second goal just before half-time was a big moment and the third and fourth goals came logically. Fluency is one of our strengths. To be clinical was important today – we've found our rhythm. We have a very young squad but very talented and they all enjoy to play the game we play." |
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| Group H | Juventus 1-0 Udinese Calcio
(Amauri 67)
Claudio Ranieri: "We played very well and created several opportunities to score against a strong side. We had three or four clear chances in either half – I'm very satisfied with our performance. I know Zenit well, they are a very strong side and are flying high after winning their domestic league, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. We will surely have another difficult game on Wednesday." | FC Terek Grozny 1-4 FC Zenit St. Petersburg
(Bendz 76; Arshavin 13, Križanac 23, Pogrebnyak 40, Zyryanov 68)
Dick Advocaat: "We knew that Terek are strong at home. They have already beaten several top clubs, so this victory is very important for us. Every coach is happy when his team wins 4-1, but I'm not only satisfied with result, but also with the way we played. Most of our players have played for their national teams, but on Friday we were already on our way to Makhachkala. It was hard to predict their physical condition. The match could have gone the other way if our opponents had scored from the two good chances they had in the early stages." | Real Madrid CF 4-3CD Numancia
Bernd Schuster: "It was exactly the type of game I'd been expecting. Games after players return from international breaks are always ugly and more difficult. We have to finish off these types of games earlier; it wasn't necessary to end the match in that way. Matches like this are normal at the beginning of a season and we were playing a team who made life very difficult for us. They had been preparing for us for the past two weeks and they have already beaten Barcelona. I always prefer to win, regardless of whether that's 4-3 or 1-0." | FC Naftan Novopolotsk 1-2 FC BATE Borisov
(Komarovskiy 81; Bliznyuk 31(p), Mirchev 88)
Viktor Goncharenko: "We are happy to break our run of draws. It is possible to show your best qualities on this kind of pitch, but we still looked way below our real capabilities. The UEFA Champions League group stage looming is probably affecting us badly. We can't get that out of our heads. It is hard to motivate our guys ahead of league games at the moment." |
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