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Mpoku pleased with Standard's show of steel

"We had to react and we did," said R. Standard de Liège forward Paul-José Mpoku after a 0-0 draw with Sevilla FC that left both teams feeling they could have taken three points.

Kevin Gameiro (centre) tries to create an opening in Liege
Kevin Gameiro (centre) tries to create an opening in Liege ©AFP/Getty Images

Paul-José Mpoku feels Standard "could have won" following 0-0 draw with Sevilla
The hosts content after set of poor results and departure of coach Guy Luzon
Kevin Gameiro says Sevilla "lacked a little efficiency" but hails "a good point"
Next games: Sevilla v Standard (6 November)

Paul-José Mpoku, Standard forward
Everyone fought for each other and for the club. We showed a bit of everything: good organisation, good football, desire and the ability to create chances. We could have won considering the chances we had, but, given the situation at Standard at the moment, the most important thing was to not lose and not concede. We've been conceding a lot recently, so we can be satisfied with the result.

Our situation isn't ideal so we had to react and we did. We put the external situation to one side, showed we have quality and showed we can still achieve something this year. We can't worry about what's going on around us – we have to focus on ourselves and we can be satisfied with what we did tonight. The way we played gives us confidence.

Igor De Camargo, Standard forward
We came up against a high-quality team today, but we were well organised and committed and showed a lot of hunger. We managed to organise ourselves in a manner that's been lacking recently. We didn't concede, and that's a big positive, and we'll see how things go from here.

Considering our performances over the last few weeks, we gave a good account of ourselves today and that was necessary. We needed to show our desire, especially to the supporters, and I think we did a great job. We put in a great performance and now we have to focus on Anderlecht on Sunday.

Martin Milec, Standard defender
Given our chances at the end, we could have won. We played very well and have to continue like this. The most important thing now is to come back. Of course, this result is important, but we also have to play better and better. Today was a good start as we played well for the whole 90 minutes. I saw that Rijeka won in the other game, so it's a close group.

At half-time, the coach said to continue playing like we had been. Sevilla didn't create any chances in the first half and in the second they had one for [Carlos] Bacca, but everything else was perfect. It was a fair result, but we can be a bit sad as well because we had two great chances to take all three points.

Adrien Trebel, Standard midfielder
We followed the coach's instructions. We pressed them at the right times. We saw that they were trying long balls from time to time and made sure we were ready to get the second ball. Sevilla are a big team in the Liga so we knew it would be a difficult match, but we went for it tonight and perhaps deserved more than a point. If you respect the coach's instructions, you come away with points.

Kevin Gameiro, Sevilla forward
It's a good point away from home. This wasn't a weak Standard team – they have very good players, even if they're having problems at the moment. They caused us lots of trouble, and now it's up to us to get all three points in the game at home.

We lacked a little efficiency up front. We had two or three great chances that we could have put in, but we weren't able to and Standard nearly punished us with a chance they missed at the end.

We're used to turnover in the team as the coach likes to rotate players. Every player in the squad could be a starter for Sevilla, but it's up to the coach to make his decisions. That's Sevilla's strength as well: the mentality in the squad is good and every time a player comes into the team, he gives everything. Rotation isn't an excuse; we just came up against a good Standard team.

It's good to be top. We know we're favourites in the group and now we have three more tough games. There are good sides in this group and we have to respect them but make sure we start our matches well so we can continue in a strong fashion and finish first.

I'm happy to be playing again. I was out for four months and I played some of our match this weekend [against Elche CF] and was lucky enough to score. I hope now to string a few games together. The club and the coach have faith in me and it's up to me to find form and build my confidence. That comes from playing matches.

Grzegorz Krychowiak, Sevilla midfielder
Both teams created a lot of chances and we could have won or lost, so this is a good point. We could have been more clinical because we had a lot of chances, but Standard could also have got a goal and won. Now we just have to win at home. Our goal is to get out of the group and we're focused on that goal – after that, we'll see how far we can go.

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