Liverpool FC, Werder Bremen, Olympique Lyonnais and PSV Eindhoven perhaps betrayed some nerves as they suffered domestic defeats this weekend ahead of decisive UEFA Champions League matches.
Fenerbahçe delight
By contrast, Liverpool and Bremen's opponents - Olympique de Marseille and Olympiacos CFP respectively - both picked up morale-boosting victories, while the team aiming to pip PSV in Group G, Fenerbahçe SK, beat arch-rivals Galatasaray AS in an Istanbul derby. Rangers FC, who welcome Lyon, were given the weekend off in Scotland. uefa.com rounds up the reaction from all the clubs involved on Matchday 6.
Bursaspor 0-1 Beşiktaş JK (Delgado 82)
Ertuğrul Sağlam: "We're not in a position in the league where we can afford to drop any points if we want to stay close to the top. It was also an important win to raise morale before the game at [FC] Porto and for our fans who were not able to support us in the stadium. My players were determined to win and they did that by playing well."
| Group B | Chelsea FC 2-0 Sunderland AFC (Shevchenko 23, Lampard 75(pen))
Avram Grant: "We dominated the match but we could not kill the game off as early as we would have liked. It was not easy to play against Sunderland because they defended cleverly with a lot of men. It was a very mature performance." | Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 FC Schalke 04 (Toski 50, Amanatidis 82; Westermann 77, 89)
Mirko Slomka: "The result is OK. That should have been three points for Frankfurt today. We did not play well today. If I had to explain everything that did not work today, it would take a very long time. We were not really into the match right from the beginning, were much too far away from our opponents, and were not able to convert two big chances. It was a lucky point in the end." | Rosenborg BK
Norwegian season over
Trond Henriksen: "We are still in with a chance of advancing, but the recent lack of match practice does concern me." | CA Osasuna 0-0 Valencia CF
Ronald Koeman: "Neither team created much danger but we were very secure at the back. We did well in a positional sense and we fought. We have to improve up front. I'm very happy not only with the players individually but with the team in general." |
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| Group C | Olympiacos CFP 4-0 Levadiakos FC (Stoltidis 23, Kovačević 35, Djordjević 52(pen), Mitroglou 63)
Panagiotis Lemonis: "We sealed the victory rather quickly and had the opportunity to rest several players. Tuesday's match against Werder Bremen is crucial for our future in the UEFA Champions League but it will not deter us from our course. We await this encounter impatiently." | Athletic Club Bilbao 0-1 Real Madrid CF (Van Nistelrooy 54)
Bernd Schuster: "This is a difficult stadium to come to and it's not enough to know how to play football in order to get a result here. I'm very happy with the attitude of my team. Athletic are a team that never make things easy for you. We had to work very hard. There are two ways to play football: you can play beautifully or you can struggle, fight and work hard." | S.S Lazio 2-0 Calcio Catania (Rocchi 7, Pandev 88)
Delio Rossi: "We were very solid for the whole game though we only managed to score the second at the end. We are travelling to Madrid with the spirit of a team who have nothing to lose. We have to play a great game if we want a good result in Madrid but we are ready to play all our cards." | Hannover 96 4-3 Werder Bremen (Hanke 13, 21, 77, Baumann 20(o.g.); Rosenberg 10, 54, Diego 43(pen))
Thomas Schaaf: "My team played a great match, but unfortunately also made too many mistakes. We started out well but were not able to get the second goal. We came back after we went two down but another slip blocked our way to a good result." |
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| Group E | FC Barcelona 2-1 RC Deportivo La Coruña (Ronaldinho 40(pen), Xavi 71; Cristian 3)
Frank Rijkaard: "It's true that that wasn't our best performance but it was like a double victory for us because of the return of Samuel [Eto'o] and Deco after their injuries. It's always important for a team to have their best players back to achieve results. We have to have confidence. As we get our players back to fitness we'll continue to get stronger." | SM Caen 1-0 Olympique Lyonnais (Gouffran 18)
Alain Perrin: "We expected another result to increase our confidence ahead of the Glasgow trip. That will be tougher, but our minds were not elsewhere. We lost to a strong and resolute team. The fact we were still competing at the end was a good response. The Champions League is a level above the league, but we have showed that we can cope with such games." | Rangers FC (No match)
Barry Ferguson: "We've done ever so well to get to this stage and all we need is a point at home, so I am confident we can get that. Ibrox will be electric on the night and I'm sure that will be a massive help to us." | VfB Stuttgart 3-1 VfL Wolfsburg (Marica 26, Cacau 47, Hitzlsperger 86; Dzeko 49)
Armin Veh: "The crowd were treated to a good match. We had the upper hand in the first half but the second goal was not good for our game because we continued to attack afterwards and got nervous when Wolfsburg came back at us, but most importantly we won in the end." |
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| Group F | AS Livorno Calcio 1-1 AS Roma (Tristán 7; De Rossi 4)
Luciano Spalletti: "We are conceding too many goals but that's to be expected when you are a team who always try to attack like us. Inter are having a great run but I'm confident we can still keep in touch with them. Today we could not play our usual direct football because the pitch was very heavy. However we have to accept this result. [Francesco] Totti is already in good form but it's not always easy to find space against a team which are defending well and in depth." | FC Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 SC Tavriya Simferopol (Bangoura 2, 46(pen), Gusev 38)
Oleh Luzhny: "It is still too early [in our development] for us to defeat the likes of Manchester United or Roma. Today I was happy with how my defence and the whole team played, though we have to do in every game." | Manchester United FC 4-1 Derby County FC (Giggs 40, Tévez 45, 60, Ronaldo 90(pen); Howard 76)
Sir Alex Ferguson: "It was a big win. They made it difficult; we always try to play our short passing and it wasn't easy. We weren't at our best simply because of the conditions, but we scored four at home and got three points, so I'm pleased with the result. Hopefully that keeps the momentum going." | Sporting Clube de Portugal 4-0 Louletano DC (Purović 4, 36, Vukčević 76, Izmailov 85)
Paulo Bento:"It was a good result for us. Sporting showed their superiority throughout, we scored an early goal and controlled the rest of the match. Our goal was to get through to the next round and we achieved that. It is important to retain an interest in all competitions before the winter break although our league situation is not great." |
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| Group G | FC Internazionale Milano 4-0 Torino FC (Ibrahimović 37(pen), Cruz 50, Jiménez 52, Córdoba 76)
Roberto Mancini: "We were missing several players through injury for the third game in a week so I thought we might have been a bit tired. I'm happy we played well anyway. We have a five-point lead now but there is still a long way until the end of the season and every single game can be tricky. We did not start very well today and Torino kept us under control but then we did well after breaking the deadlock." | Fenerbahçe SK 2-0 Galatasaray AS (Semih 5, Deivid 56)
Zico: "Here, nobody loses or wins on their own. The derby match we have won here is down to the hard work of everyone from the kit man to the board members." | PFC CSKA Moskva
Russian season over
Valeri Gazzaev: "Given how many injuries we had at the end of the season it was extremely important that the team didn't lose their heads or lose their hearts but continued to perform with maximum self-control and character." | PSV Eindhoven 2-4 Roda JC (Koevermans 80, 84; De Fauw 19, Meeuwis 45, Oper 48, Hadouir 64)
Jan Wouters: "My compliments to Roda, their victory was totally deserved. We left too much space, lost the ball too much and did not switch between defence and attack. At half-time we could have been 4-0 down. Then you hope in the second half you can claw something back but then we faced an even bigger gap." |
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| Group H | Middlesbrough FC 2-1 Arsenal FC (Downing 4(pen), Tuncay Şanlı 74; Rosický 90)
Arsène Wenger: "We lost the game because we deserved to lose it. Middlesbrough were sharper in the fight and overall we lost because we missed the start by giving them too much room and then a penalty. It was down to us being jaded physically - it was our fourth away trip on the trot. We lacked creativity and sharpness in our passing, so we were not dangerous. The early goal gave them a lot of courage, but in fairness they defended well." | FC Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt 0-1 FC Steaua Bucureşti (Badea 19)
Marius Lăcătuş: "I am satisfied. I was not at all interested in how we were going to play, but only in taking the three points, which we did. Often football matches are won thanks to deflected shots. I hope that after the last games of 2007 next Sunday we will be second or third. And why shouldn't we aim to win the title? What dies last is hope." | Sevilla FC 3-1 Real Murcia CF (Luis Fabiano 5,90, Maresca 60 (pen); Baiano 67)
Manolo Jiménez: "It wasn't easy to create chances because we were playing against a team that was well-organised. Murcia didn't allow us to shine today. Our team were brave and I saw an eagerness to win in my players. We have a good squad of quality players." | SK Kladno 0-1 SK Slavia Praha (Šmicer 40)
Karel Jarolím: "It seems that finding the net is our main problem. We scored one today at least and atoned for our previous home let-downs." |
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