Kotrba acknowledges good fortune

Coach Jirí Kotrba conceded his side had enjoyed an element of good fortune after Karel Poborský's late winner gave AC Sparta Praha their first UEFA Champions League Group G win. "Besiktas [JK] were better than us for the opening 25 minutes and on this occasion our goalkeeper kept us in the game," he said.

Tough game
Sparta took the lead in a close contest after 58 minutes, thanks to a well-taken goal by Lukáš Zelenka. Besiktas then equalised two minutes later, through a Daniel Pancu penalty, only for Poborský to have the last word.

Slow start
After the slow start, Kotrba was pleased with how his side stuck to the task and salvaged something from the game. " After the opening spell, we changed our performance and put in a winning display," he said. "The only exception were the ten minutes after our first goal when we lost concentration.

'Difficult group'
“Of course I am happy with the result," he continued. "While this is a difficult group it is still wide open. Besiktas were tough opponents tonight and it will now be very difficult for us in Istanbul in our next game."

'Important victory'
Defeat would have left Sparta struggling to stay in contention in a competitive group, so the win was welcomed by Zelenka, the Sparta midfield player who scored the opening goal. "This was an important victory because we are still in a good position in the group," he said. "And it improves team spirit for the next matches. However, we relaxed after my goal and the penalty was unnecessary."

'Very disappointed'
Besiktas coach Mircea Lucescu felt that his side were not just unlucky to lose a point, but even deserved victory. "I think we lost three points today," he said. "I am very disappointed with this result. We had three or four opportunities to score in the first half, but we lacked the final touch in front of goal."

Besiktas potential
The first half had been something of a tight affair, but the visitors had enjoyed the better of the chances. Lucescu felt his side always showed the potential to win, even as Sparta improved. “During half-time, we talked about getting our morale up and wanting to play a more active game," he said.

Winning hopes
"Even after they scored I still believed we could win," he added, "That was shown by how we scored straight afterwards. This group is very difficult and each team can still be happy after the last matches, no matter where they finish."

Tayfur disappointment
Besiktas captain Tayfur Havutçu echoed his coach’s disappointment after the game. "We came to Prague looking for the minimum of one point. We hoped we had done enough for a draw. I hope over the next three games we will do enough to qualify."

Sparta second
With Chelsea FC coming from behind to beat S.S. Lazio 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, Sparta move into second place, ahead of Roberto Mancini's side after their draw in Rome, but two points behind the English side. Besiktas, a further point behind, are now bottom of the group, but could get right back in contention with a revenge win against Sparta in Istanbul on 4 November.