Pellegrini highlights Villarreal's armoury

Villarreal CF coach Manuel Pellegrini preferred to highlight his team's attacking prowess following the 6-3 defeat of Aalborg BK, rather than the defensive frailties which the Danish side exploited on a remarkable night at El Madrigal. AaB counterpart Bruce Rioch was full of praise for his players having kept in touch with their hosts throughout and given "one of the top sides in Spain a big fright".

Manuel Pellegrini, Villarreal coach
I don't know what kind of match I expected really; anything can happen in football. It was a complicated defensively in the first half, but we made up for it in the second period. In the first half Aalborg were hurting us but we managed to fix things later. Rather than focus on what I didn't like tonight, I really enjoyed the six goals. My team fought back and overcame issues in attack. It was a dark night defensively but I liked the goals we scored. We always try to win and put on a good show. We have taken a step forward in the competition and now we hope to get through to the next round in our next two games.

Bruce Rioch, Aalborg coach
It was an incredible night of football. To come here, score three goals and leave conceding six is amazing. I think we played with discipline for most of the game. We knew it was going to be tough. Lots of people, especially in Denmark, don't realise how good Villarreal are – they're a fantastic team. The capability of their substitutes, Bruno, Robert Pirès and Joseba Llorente, proves how strong a squad they have. I'm extremely proud of how the team played. We gave them a good fright for a long period despite the six goals and we're one of the two Danish clubs left in Europe. Manchester United, UEFA Champions League holders, Villarreal, one of the top Spanish sides and Celtic; it's an awesome group. Overall I'm very pleased with a lot of the things the team did tonight. The players feel disappointed but when they have time to reflect on the game they will realise the good moments they had.